voting behaviour

Question 1

Explain initial class alignment

Answer 1

Up until the 1970s,the working classes voted for labour and the middle and upper classes voted for the conservatives.

Question 2

What were the traditional blue collar industries?

Answer 2

Coal, steel and textiles

Question 3

Why was class voting such a big thing?

Answer 3

It was motivated by self interest, with each party representing the interests of different classes.

Question 4

What is class dealignment?

Answer 4

Class began to lose its importance in voting behaviour

Question 5

What is an example of class dealignment?

Answer 5

Thatcher and Blair both being able to secure 3 consecutive terms through appealing to working/middle classs support respectively

Question 6

What triggered class dealignment?

Answer 6

The change in teh economy with the decline of traditional blue collar industries and the blurring of social classes
Parties deliberately appealing to different social classes than their traditional base.

Question 7

What was partisanship?

Answer 7

Following WW2, voters old have strong affiliations with parties, often influenced by family, tradition, class, the workplace and the community.

Question 8

What is a swing voter?

Answer 8

A person who is comfortable footing for more than one party

Question 9

What is political apathy and an example?

Answer 9

Significant sections of the electorate dont care enough about politics to be age in elections, and this can be seen in a decrease in election turnout.

Question 10

What are the key social factors influence in votes?

Answer 10

Age, Region, Education, Ethnicity and gender

Question 11

Which age group is more likely to vote for conservatives + example

Answer 11

Conservatives are more likely to receive votes from the elderly, with over 60% of 60+ year olds voting conservative in 2019

Question 12

Which age group is more likely to vote labour + example

Answer 12

Younger people, with only 22 of 18-29 year olds voting conservative in 2019

Question 13

How do parties appeal to their age demographics?

Answer 13

Through their media campaigns, such as with Labour currently using tik toks and instagram reels to promote their beliefs, or through policies, such as the Conservatives announcing the reintroduction of national service.

Question 14

what trend is being broken with age?

Answer 14

voters traditionally become more conservative as they get older, although this isn’t happening with millennials

Question 15

What are the labour strongholds?

Answer 15

the north and parts for wales and scotland

Question 16

what are the conservative strong holds?

Answer 16

the south east and east midlands

Question 17

what are examples of the loss of region as a important factor?

Answer 17

1997 - blair wins many middle class seats from he tories in their strongholds
collapse of the red wall in 2019

Question 18

What is the trend with education?

Answer 18

Those with fewer qualifications were more conservative and those with uni education were more labour/lib dem

Question 19

What is the trend in terms of ethnicity?

Answer 19

White voters are more likely to vote. for the conservatives, whilst black and minority ethnic voters are more likely to vote labour

Question 20

what % of BME voters voted for labour in 2019?

Answer 20

64%

Question 21

what % of BME voters voted for the conservatives in 2019?

Answer 21

20%

Question 22

What is rational choice theory?

Answer 22

The idea that voters will vote for policy interests that are most beneficial to them.

Question 23

What is economic voting theory?

Answer 23

People will vote for a party which will economically benefit them out of self interest

Question 24

What is issue based voting?

Answer 24

When one issue outshines the rest and will receive votes even if other policy areas are disagreed on

Question 25

What aer valence factors

Answer 25

things that need to be kept in check, such as the economy and the NHS

Question 26

How can leadership influence elections?

Answer 26

Parties paint their leaders with good light as people have ben voting more on the basis for who will be in power rather than on their own MPs.

Question 27

How can issues and events influence elections?

Answer 27

An incumbent party’s handling of significant events can lead to an alter in their popularity, which influences elections massively. example is the tories and covid.

Question 28

What is the campaign?

Answer 28

The 6 weeks before a election where parties publish manifestos, make grassroots efforts to win over voters, spend money on advertising and do TV debates

Question 29

What makes the campaign so important?

Answer 29

Many voters only pay attention to politics during this time, so it can have massive influence on election results

Question 30

What is a manifesto?

Answer 30

Manifestos are published in the run up to elections, and are where parties. set out all their policies and what they want to do whilst in government

Question 31

Analyse manifestos

Answer 31

policies aren’t always carried ou, such as with the abolition of school tuition fees in 2010 wth the lib dem’s.

Question 32

What role does the media play in elections?

Answer 32

They influence how a candidate as viewed as that is hte main way people absorb information about politics

Question 33

What forms of media can a candidate present themeselves on?

Answer 33

TV debates and interviews

Question 34

What weakens the impact of the media?

Answer 34

The echo chambers

Question 35

How do newspapers influence peoples thinking?

Answer 35

Every newspaper will side with a party and campaign for it, such as The Daily Mail sharing an attack on Jeremy COrbyn the night before the 2017 election.