Voting Behavior & The Media - Facors Effecting Voting

Question 1

Partisanship

Answer 1

• may support a party as they strongly identify with that party
• partisan dealignment recently - people stop identifying themselves with a particular party & become floating voters
• some voters have become disengaged from politics and lack confident in politicians to be able to solve important issues (disillusion & apathy)

Question 2

Class based voting

Answer 2

• traditionally social class influenced who people voted for
• working class - Labour
• middle class - conservative
• class delighnemt taking place
• can be explained by increase in size of UK’s middle class, decline in trade union power & greater educational opportuntiee

Question 3

Age

Answer 3

• traditionally older people support Conservatives
• thought to be because conservatives are more likely to protect the material interests of older people
• in 2017 labour had 47% more supporters from voters aged 18-19 than conservatives
• young people are less likely to vote then older people
• 2017 - 84% of over 70 voted & 57% of people aged 18-19 voted

Question 4

Region

Answer 4

• poorer areas (northern England & wales) more likely to support Labour
• wealthier areas such as southern England (not London) & rural areas are more likely to support conservatves

Question 5

Ethnicity & gender

Answer 5

• ethnic minorities are more likely to support labour as labour policies are often stronger in promoting a multi-cultural agenda (2017 - 65% of ethic minorities supported labour)
• more recently gender has been insignificant in influencing voters - new Labour is supported by may women

Question 6

Voting patterns - age

Answer 6

• 1979 - less significant 41% labour, 42% conservatives from voters aged 18-24
• 1997 - more younger voters supported labour - 49% of voters aged 18-24 & 25-34 voting for labour
• 2010 - 44% of older voters supported conservatives & 31% of voters supporting labour

Question 7

Voting patterns - social class

Answer 7

• 1979 - conservatives winning 59% of middle class vote & labour won the largest share of the unskilled working class vote at 49%
• 1997 - labour won 50% of skilled working class vote & 59% of unskilled working class vote

Question 8

Voting patterns - gender (1979 & 1997)

Answer 8

• importance of gender has lessened in recent years
• 1979 - 47% of women supported conservatives compared to 35% of women supporting labour
• 1997 - more women supported labour with 44% voting for the party & more men supporting labout (45%) compared to 31% for conservatives