Voting Behaviour Flashcards
Class dealignment
The decline in the relationship between social class and voting
Socialisation
The process by which individuals acquire their beliefs and values
Partisan Dealignment
The decline in strong voter identification with political parties.
Core vote
Voters who feel a strong attachment to political party and vote for it in election after election
Floating voters
Voters without a strong attachment to a particular party, who may switch their vote from election to election.
‘Catch-all party’
a political approach in which a party claims to be open to a wide spectrum of constituents and groups
Long term factors that effect voting behaviour
- Class - Class voting - partisanship
- Gender - Younger Women tend to vote labour
- Age - Conservatives perform better among older people
- Ethnicity - A majority of ethnic minorities vote for Labour
- Region - ‘North and South divide’
What is the ‘gender gap’
Postwar period women were more likely to vote conservative
Primacy model
Long term factors - age, gender, ethnicity, class can determine the way you vote
‘Recency model’
Short term factors - events, leader competence and current issues determine the way you vote
Valence issues
A policy issue in which the main parties are in broad agreement. Parties adopt similar position, voters make judgement about their relative competence and ability to deliver the desired outcomes
What is VAP
Voter age population.
Second half of the 20th century VAP was 95% were registered to vote.
No it has been said to decline 90%
The representation of the people Act (1969)
The franchise extended to all citizens aged over 18
Great Reform act (1832)
Who can vote ?
A member of the House of Lords
Suffering from a severe mental illness
Convicted of corrupt/illegal electoral practice
Bankrupt
A convicted criminal serving custodial sentence
EU citizen (Ireland/UK can) although they can vote in the country they’re living in at local and EUParli
Turnout at selected UK elections.
2010 65.1% 2009 34.5% EU 2011 54.7% NI 50.4% Scottish Parliament Welsh Assembly 41.5% 2012 31.1% English Local 2012 15% Wales Police commissioner
