Voting behaviour

Question 1

What different models are there to describe voting behaviour?

Answer 1

Social Structure model
Party ID model
Rational Choice Theory
Dominant Ideology model
Voting context model

Question 2

Brief explanation of social structure model

Answer 2

Voters categorised into social groups - the interests of these groups explain voting patterns

Question 3

Examples of social groups in the social structure model

Answer 3

Class, race, age, gender etc…

Question 4

When was class alignment most clear?

Answer 4

1960s

Question 5

Reasons why we are seeing a trend of class dealignment?

Answer 5

Changing home ownership (mainly due to Thatcher’s right to buy scheme)

Declining trade union membership

Changes in education (more staying on post-16, many more going to university)

Rise of nationalist parties like SNP, Plaid Cymru

Question 6

How much has class alignment decreased?

Answer 6

According to the Alford Index of Class Voting, class alignment has decreased from around 45 percentage points in the 1960s to less than 5 percentage points by 2019.

Question 7

What is the party identification model?

Answer 7

The theory that voters stay loyal to a particular party over long periods - this is classed partisan alignment

Question 8

Reasons why partisan alignment is decreasing?

Answer 8

Greater political awareness of voters

Less trust in politicians (e.g. Tory sleaze, expenses scandals)

Decline in ideological differences between parties (New Labour’s shift to the centre)

Question 9

Statistics to show partisan dealignment

Answer 9

In 1960s, around 45% of voters said that they had a very strong party alignment, but this has gone down to only around 12% by the 2000s

Question 10

From which economic concept does the rational choice theory draw inspiration?

Answer 10

‘Homo economicus’ - people are rational decision makers

Question 11

What does rational choice theory say about voting behaviour?

Answer 11

Voters act like consumers, choosing to vote for whichever party offers the best package for their interests

Question 12

What is a sub-section of rational choice theory?

Answer 12

Valence model - voters use a party’s recent history to determine how well it will deliver on its promised policies

Question 13

What do some RCT stress?

Answer 13

Government competency as a major factor in voting behaviour - RETROSPECTIVE VOTING

Question 14

Examples of when parties won due to good economies

Answer 14

2001, 1987

Question 15

Examples of when parties lost due to bad economies

Answer 15

2010 (poor handling of 2008 financial crisis), 1979 (Winter of Discontent)

Question 16

Examples of when RCT doesn’t seem to apply

Answer 16

1983 - bad economy, Thatcher still won (BUT Falklands)

1997 - improving economy, Tories still lost (BUT Tory sleaze)

Question 17

Evidence that election campaigns are mattering more in recent times

Answer 17

2015 - 50% of voters said they made up their mind during the election campaign

2017 - Corbyn’s popularity hugely increased during election campaign

Question 18

Examples that go against social structure model (age)

Answer 18

The fact that age makes a difference in voting isn’t a social structure, but the result of targeted policy

Cons - triple lock on pensions

Lab - lowering voting age to 16, abolishing tuition fees (however, Starmer ditched this promise in May 2023)

Question 18

Criticisms of RCT?

Answer 18

Do voters really research policies as much as rational choice theory suggests?

Psychological studies suggest that people are likely to stick with who they voted for previously

Question 19

Long term factors in 1979 election (social structure model)

Answer 19

Class alignment quite significant - 49% of unskilled workers voted Labour compared to 34% voting Conservative)

Gender? - 47% of Tory voters in this election were women (compared to only 35% in 1974), HOWEVER likely due to short term factor of the candidate being a woman

Question 20

Short term factors in the 1979 election (rational choice theory)

Answer 20

Winter of Discontent

Question 21

Long term factors in the 1997 election (social structure model)

Answer 21

Despite the trend away from class based voting in the decades prior, 61% of unskilled workers voted Labour and only 21% voted Conservative

Much bigger increase in Labour vote among young people than older people

Question 22

Short term factors in the 1997 election (rational choice theory)

Answer 22

Conservative party was losing credibility due to infighting, particularly over EU membership, and the infamous ‘Tory sleaze’ scandal

Black Wednesday

Question 23

Long term factors in the 2010 election (social structure model)

Answer 23

Labour kept ‘Red Wall’, urban areas mostly voted for Labour

Significant class dealignment - manual workers voting Labour fell dramatically

Older people more likely to vote Conservative

Question 24

Short term factors in 2010 election (rational choice theory)

Answer 24

2008 economic crisis

Expenses scandal caused disillusionment (e.g. Tony Blair’s expenses records had been shredded ‘by mistake’)