voting behaviour Flashcards
rank the order of social classes
AB, C1, C2, DE
what is a floating voter?
a voter who tends to vote unpredictably in different elections
what is a floating voter?
a voter who tends to vote unpredictably in different elections
why do younger people vote labour?
- younger people believe in social justice, the environment and equality, rather than more self centred issues
- in 2017, Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘the many not the few’ suggests that Labour is on the side of the younger generation.
- in the 2019 manifesto, Jeremy Corbyn pledged to abolish tuition fees
what age group votes for labour? give stats to support this
typically, 66% of 18-24 year olds vote Labour (2017 general election), however, the turnout was only 58%, meaning a huge majority of the younger generation aren’t being truly represented
what age group votes for conservatives? give stats to support this
the elderly are more likely to vote, for example, 59% of 65+ voted, which is extremely high
however, parties do better when they reach beyond their core age support group. e.g- Tony Blair achieved 5% more of the 65+ age group
why do older people vote conservative?
- Conservative have policies of low taxation strong law and order, and eurosceptic ideas
- priorities change, and elderly are more likely to own their own home (55% of Conservative voters own their own home and 43%own with a mortgage).
who do those with a lower education (GCSE or below) vote for? give stats to support this
the lower education level typically vote Conservative. (55% in the 2017 general election)
why do those with a lower education vote for conservatives?
this is because they fear that Labour let immigrants into the country, and they are capable of taking their jobs (easier jobs with no degree needed), therefore they vote Conservative as they have more eurosceptic views.
who do those with higher education (degree or above) vote for? give stats to support this
typically vote Labour (49% in the 2017 general election)
why do those with higher education vote labour?
their jobs aren’t threatened by immigrants (as you need a degree) and Labour pledged to abolish tuition fees which interest uni students.
how do different classes affect voting behaviour? 2019 election. stats
AB: 45% cons 30% labour
C1: 45% cons 32% labour
C2: 47% cons 32% labour
DE: 41% cons 39% labour
what is class dealignment?
when decisions on voting no longer depends on class, but other factors
what was Enoch Powells ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech 1968? what did it lead to?
he states that labour let immigrants into the country
led to class dealignment as the working class voted conservative to keep their jobs safe from immigrants
how does gender affect voting behaviour?
gender doesn’t have a huge impact on voting behaviour
- as shown in the 1979 election, where 47% of women voted conservative, close to the 43% of men
- this trend stayed in place as in the 2017 election, 44% of men voted cons and 43% of women did
how does region affect voting behaviour?
- From 2015-2019, Conservative have taken over many regions within the UK
- however, Conservative had also made gains in working class areas, and had achieved partisan dealignment
- during the winter of discontent, Margaret Thatcher had managed to travel to Cardiff (a Labour supporting area) and she had managed to swing the Labour supporters from being too middle class by launching the Conservative campaign in Cardiff.
how does ethnicity affect voting behaviour?
BAME voters typically vote labour (64% labour compared to 20% conservative in 2019)
why do BAME voters vote labour?
- immigrants from BAME backgrounds came into the UK working in industrial roles, which tied them with the labour party, and encourage them to adopt more policies to protect it supporters
what is valence? complete
when voters make their decision based on the party who is most likely to run the country effectively
what is issue voting?
voters that decide who to vote for based on a single issue that means a lot to them, like a pensioner voting for the party that promises for the highest rate of pensions
what is rational choice?
suggests people vote based on what they consider to be in their own best interests
what are some factors that affect individual voting?
- manifestos
- party leaders
- how parties have performed in office
- tactical voting
- image and reputation of the party
give 3 commitments on labours 2019 party manifesto
- abolish tuition fees
- increase minimum wage to £10 an hour
- 4.3% per year increase in the health budget
give 3 manifesto commitments on conservatives 2019 party manifesto
- pensions increase by at least 2.5$ each year
- number of nurses increased by 50,000
- £6.3 billion spent on 2.2 million disadvantaged homes
give 3 commitments on lib dems 2019 party manifesto
- promise to stop Brexit
- increase income tax by one penny to fund the NHS
- recruit 20,000 more teachers
what is a mandate?
the idea that the winning party has to implement its manifesto promises
why is a mandate doctrine good? (3)
- electors are completely aware of which policies they are consenting to
- mandate strengthens government, the winning party gains legitimacy for its policies
- electors can judge the performance of the government delivering its promises
what are 3 implications of the doctrine of a mandate?
- depends upon a single party winning the election, in the case of a coalition, the mandate is unclear
- voters may not agree with ALL policies on the manifesto, but the mandate assumes it does
- circumstances may change once they win the election, meaning they may have to abandon or develop new policies
^e.g Lib Dems abandoning their manifesto commitment to abolish tuition to form the coalition
