voting behaviour and media pt1 Flashcards
1
Q
AB class
A
- Higher and intermediate managerial, administrative and professional occupations
banker
doctor
senior executive
company director
2
Q
C1 class
A
- Supervisory, clerical and junior managerial/administrative/professional roles
teacher
office manager
IT manager
social worker
3
Q
C2 class
A
- skilled manual occupations
plumber
hairdresser
mechanic
train driver
4
Q
DE class
A
- Semi-skilled/unskilled occupations, unemployed, lowest-grade jobs
labourer
bar staff
call centre staff
unemployed
5
Q
what is class alignment
A
When voters are consistently loyal to a specific party over time BASED ON THEIR SOCIAL CLASS
6
Q
what is partisan dealignment
A
When voters are less loyal to any one party – they switch more easily between elections.
7
Q
arguments FOR SOCIAL class being important in voting
A
- historical evidence is strong, for decades ppl have voted according to class group
- EG - 1964 GE: 78% of AB voters supported the Conservatives, 64% of DE voters supported Labour. - a persons job and income shape their political priorities - influences voting
- EG - DE groups favour labour bc welfare and min wage policies, but AB groups prefer Cons policies like tax cuts
8
Q
arguments AGAINST SOCIAL class being important in voting
A
- partisan dealignment - class voting patterns have slowly equalled out
- EG - 2017 GE the DE vote was split: 43% Cons and 47% Labour –> reverses traditional voting behaviour - other factors more influential - rise of issue-based voting - voters care more abut issues like Brexit, immigration and leadership than class identity
- EG - 2019 election the Cons won support from ALL social grades from AB to DE bc of BJs stance on Brexit they agreed with –> issues override class - 2017 and 2019 elections - uni graduates leaned towards Labour but older non-graduates voted Cons –> social class is no longer more important than age and education
9
Q
2 trends showing AGE is the MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR
A
- older ppl vote conservative
- due to policies like economic stability, pensions and traditional values - aligning with Cons
- EG 2017 63% of 65+ Cons and 25% Labour
- EG 2019 67% of 65+ Cons and 14% Labour - younger voters support Labour
- due to progressive policies like climate action, education, reform, min wage
- EG 2017 - 62% of 18–24s Labour and 27% Cons
- EG 2019 - 56% of 18–24s Labour and 21% Cons
10
Q
compare 2024 AGE FACTOR with 2017 and 2019
A
- Younger voters (18–24) consistently support Labour more, but this has declined, 62% in 2017 to 41% in 2024.
- Older voters (65+) have always supported the Cons , peaking at 67% in 2019, decreasing to 43% in 2024.
- Cons support with 18-24 significantly declined, from 27% 2017 to 5% 2024.
- emergence of other parties - Reform UK got more voters under 30 than Cons, with 9.5% support compared to the Conservatives’ 8%.
11
Q
how does REGION influence voting behaviour key trends
A
- South and East lean Conservative
- EG - 2019 Cons won: 54% East Midlands, 52% South East –> these areas r more affluent w older populations - Con leaning demographics - Urban areas and London lean Labour - more diverse and young populations
- EG - London 2019 Labour got 48% much higher than Cons 32% –> urban voters favour progressive policies like social justice, housing, public services - Scotland show regional divide - with SNP dominance
- EG - 2019 SNP won 45% of vote (far ahead L+C) –> regional identity and support for independence makes Scotland’s voting patterns dif from rest of UK
12
Q
how did Brexit affect REGIONs influence on voting behaviour
A
- regions that voted heavily Leave (like parts of the Midlands and North of England), the Conservatives became more popular. +6.4%
- regions that voted strongly Remain (like London or parts of Scotland), the Conservatives lost support. -4%
((It made Leave areas more supportive of the Conservatives. It made Remain areas less supportive of them.))
13
Q
what influence does GENDER have on voting behaviour
A
- gender has little impact - men and women vote similarly
- EG - 2024 Labour: 35% women, 34% men and Cons: 26% women, 23% men - slight divide in the YOUNGER generation - women 18-24 more likely to vote Labour/ Greens but men more right-wing like Cons/ Reform
- EG - 2024 aged 18-24: 23% women Green BUT 12% men Green… 6% women reform BUT 12% men reform - gender divide disappears with age
14
Q
arguments FOR ETHNICITY is a significant factor
A
- BME voters support Labour
- EG - 2017 73% of BME voted Labour and voted 19% Cons –> large gap - supporting labours policies of equality - BME tend to live in urban areas eg London, Birmingham, Manchester - strong Labour areas. Ppl in Con party like Enoch Powell know for anit-immigration policies –> mistrust within BME community
- labour have kept majority support from BME even if overall shares have shifted
- EG - from 2010 –> 2019 Labour BME vote has been 60%+
–> reliable voting predictor for labour
15
Q
arguments AGAINST ETHNICITY is an important factor
A
- wealthier ethnic minorities are shifting towards Cons –> BME labour support is more about class than race
- many BME voters are lower-income, working-class jobs making Labour’s policies more attractive
- wealthier BME ppl like Asians and British Hindu’s are voting for Cons as their economic status rises
16
Q
what are the social and non-social factors influencing voting behaviour
A
- SOCIAL
class
age
region
gender
ethnicity - NON-SOCIAL
valence
party leadership
salience
17
Q
what is valence
A
- general image of a party and its leader.
- how much voters trust a governing party, or trust an opposition to take over.
18
Q
what is governing competence
A
“A general feeling among voters that a party is either very competent in governing or much less competent.”
This includes areas like economic policy, foreign policy, and decision-making.
19
Q
3 examples of VALENCE ISSUES
A
- governing competence
- voters trust parties who they believed governed well in the past and are decisive
- EG - Cons scandals Partygate, NHS backlogs, lots of strikes eg Junior Doctors + teacher, - Party Unity
- Cons lost 2001, 2005 GEs bc deeply divided over EU meanwhile Labour unified and stable –> led to their success in both elections - image of leaders
- 2019 Corbyn –> too extreme, untrustworthy, unclear on key issues like Brexit. His net favourability rating was -44 - very bad. labour lost that election
20
Q
why does PARTY LEADERSHIP matter
A
- voters may vote for a party based on leaders character
- a strong leader can reassure voters
- a weak can turn voters away even if they agree with the parties policies
21
Q
Examples of when party leadership HAS influenced electoral outcome
A
- TONY BLAIR
- high approval ratings of over 70% before election.
- seen as modern and competent
- labour won landslide of 418 seats ending 18 yrs of Con rule in 1997 - Corbyn
- highly unpopular, indecisive, weak, antisemitic
- favourability rating -44
- labour fell to 202 seats 2019 - worst result since 1935
22
Q
Examples of when party leadership HASN’T influenced electoral outcome
A
- Clement Attlee 1945
- victory was driven by public demand for welfare reform and rebuilding post-WW2 not his personality.
- labour won with 146 seat majority - Thatcher
- low personal approval during campaign but Tories still won due to labour’s poor economic competence and ‘winter of discontent’ which lost most labour support
23
Q
what is salience
A
- how important an issue is to voters at the time of an election.
- Can cut across party loyalty — even traditional voters may switch sides if an issue matters enough.
24
Q
3 examples of salient issues
A
- 2019 Brexit
- voters had choice either Labour’s plan for 2nd ref or Cons ‘get Brexit done’ –> this made many labour voters switch to Cons - 1979
- after ‘winter of discontent’ (strikes) ppl saw labour as weak
- thatcher promised to restore order and reduce union power
- this is what drove voters to vote for Cons and win election
