Voting Behaviour

Question 1

What did Pulzer (1967) famously once claim?

Answer 1

‘Class is the basis of British politics; all else is embellishment and detail’

Question 2

According to Denver et al. (2012) what was the proportion of non-manual workers voting Conservative in the 1960s? And in 2005 & 2010?

Answer 2

1960s - 60%
2005/2010 - 40%
Shows decline in traditional middle class vote

Question 3

According to Ipsos MORI, how has the way middle class people vote changed since Oct 1974?

Answer 3

Middle class votes for Conservatives: Oct 1974 - 56%, 1997 - 39%, 2010 - 39% 
Votes for Labour: Oct 1974 - 19%, 1997 - 34%, 2010 - 27%

Question 4

How does Ipsos MORI poll data show the change in the way the working class votes, compared with Oct 1974 and 2015?

Answer 4

Working class (C2) votes for Conservatives: Oct 1974 - 26%, 2015 - 30% 
Working class (C2) votes for Labour: Oct 1974 - 49%, 2015 - 32%

Question 5

How do bottom-up explanations claim that class voting has decline over the last 40 years?

Answer 5

Result of changes in UK economy and society, e.g. Shift to non-manual work, growth of service sector, greater affluence, higher levels of education

Question 6

How do top-down explanations claim that class voting has declined?

Answer 6

Changes are a result of parties’ own strategies e.g. Poor government performance in office, ideological disjuncture between parties and supporters, rise of catch-all parties (New Labour and its ideological convergence)

Question 7

What did Ivor Crewe (1984) identify?

Answer 7

A ‘new’ working class - non-manual workers, owner-occupiers, Southern, no Union membership, work in the private sector. As opposed to traditional working class, which means social class is different now.

Question 8

What do Evans and Tilley (2011) argue is the most effective explanation for the decline in class voting?

Answer 8

The strategic ideological convergence of the main parties (but as response to structural transformation - shrinking working class) as opposed to class heterogeneity approach (that few individuals possess characteristics of just one class anymore).

Question 9

What is the notion of class voting?

Answer 9

People vote for the party that represents their social class e.g. Typically working class - Labour, middle class - Conservative

Question 10

What does the Comparative Manifesto Project data depict?

Answer 10

That with the introduction of New Labour in 1997, there was ideological convergence between the main parties on a left/right ideology axis

Question 11

What new sociological divisions does Dunleavy (1980) suggest?

Answer 11

Employment (public v private sector)

Consumption (public services v private provisions)

Question 12

What new cleavage does YouGov 2015 poll data support?

Answer 12

Dunleavy’s (1980) employment cleavage.

Conservatives lead in private sector votes, Labour lead on public sector. Austerity/public spending cuts issue.

Question 13

Who suggests that there is a broad agreement that class dealignment since 1945 has led to the rising importance of valence judgements? But that social background informs perceptions of parties & leaders.

Answer 13

Denver et al. (2012)

Question 14

What do Andersen and Heath (2002) argue about the relevance of social class?

Answer 14

That social class is still important in shaping election outcomes, they argue that it is about the people you socialise with in your constituency and not the rise of individualism.

Question 15

What is Andersen and Heath’s (2002) argument about the persisting relevance of social class based on?

Answer 15

The argument of Miller (1997) - people tend to be influenced towards political agreement with their social contacts.

Question 16

How would you criticise Andersen and Heath’s (2002) argument that social class is still relevant because of constituency contacts?

Answer 16

Narrow view of who you socialise with, rising role of the internet in social relationships means that could be in regular contact with people in different constituencies as well as different contacts.

Question 17

What was important to the 2010 General Election?

Answer 17

Economic competence: Whiteley et al. (2015) - after start of recession Conservatives eclipsed Labour in vote intentions
Sanders (2000) - economic perceptions that matter not ‘raw macroeconomic realities’

Question 18

What was important to the 2015 General Election?

Answer 18

Economy.
But Curtice (2015) - Labour’s cost of living crisis most salient with younger voters
Supported by Ipsos MORI poll data (2015) that shows that Labour had a clear lead among voters aged 18-34.

Question 19

Are there any gender differences in voting?

Answer 19

Campbell (2012) - Women are slightly more likely to vote Conservative than men, but the traditional gender gap is in decline.

Question 20

Is there any difference in age and voting?

Answer 20

YouGov (2015) shows older people more likely to vote Conservative. 
Ipsos MORI (2015) shows young women more likely to vote Labour.

Question 21

Voting and ethnic minorities?

Answer 21

Sanders et al (2014) - Labour lead on ethnic minority votes.

Question 22

Differences in voting and region?

Answer 22

Labour - strong in Scotland (until 2015 and SNP), Wales, the North and urban areas
Conservatives - strong in the South and rural areas.

Question 23

Conclusion - Is social class still important in shaping election outcomes?

Answer 23

Social class is not as influential as it used to be, although there is still some correlation. Voters are not, however, blank sheets when it comes to making valence judgements. Voters understanding is informed by their backgrounds.

Question 24

Who reported that in 2010 manual workers were still more likely than non-manual workers to vote Labour?

Answer 24

Denver et al. (2012)