Voting behaviour and the media

Question 1

which voting factor has traditionally been used to explain voting behaviour in the UK?

Answer 1

-Social class.

Question 2

what tries to explain the decline in the tradition of Social class deciding voting behaviour?

Answer 2

-class dealignment where individuals no longer identify themselves with a certain class.

Question 3

what name is given to voters who loyally support one of the two main parties?

Answer 3

-core voter

Question 4

what tries to explain the decline in core voters?

Answer 4

-partisan dealignment, the process where individuals no longer identify with a single party.

Question 5

what six factors effect voting behaviour?

Answer 5

-age
-ethnicity
-region
-social class
-core voters
-gender

Question 6

what is valence voting?

Answer 6

-where voters make their decisions based on the party they think will run the country effectively especially in relation to economy.

Question 7

what is rational choice voting?

Answer 7

-people vote based on what they consider to be in their own interests and what they would gain from the country.

Question 8

what is issue voting?

Answer 8

-only take in to account one issue which means a big deal to them.

Question 9

what are the key factors that affect individual voting?

Answer 9

-image and reputation
-leader
-party performance
-key issues presented
-manifestos
-tactical voting

Question 10

what is apathy?

Answer 10

-process of disengagement from politics and political activity.

Question 11

what is social class?

Answer 11

-the way in which social researchers classify people on the basis of their occupation and to some extent their income.

Question 12

what are the different classifications for social class?

Answer 12

-AB, higher and intermediate managerial, administrative, professional occupation. Banker, doctor etc.
-C1, supervisory, clerical and junior managerial, administrative, professional occupation. Teacher, office manager etc.
-c2, skilled manual occupations. Plumber, hairdresser etc.
-DE, semi skilled and unskilled manual occupations. Labourer, bar staff etc.

Question 13

example of social class used to being the voting indicator?

Answer 13

-1979 80% of people voted the way their social class indicated.

Question 14

what social classes vote what way?

Answer 14

-AB voters favoured the Conservatives
-DE voters favoured Labour
-C1 class was typically but not overwhelmingly CON
-C2 was mostly Labour

Question 15

evidence of recent decline of Social class voting?

Answer 15

-2019 39% of DE voted for Labour, compared to 64% in 1964.
-2019 45% of AB voted for CON, compared to 78% in 1964.

Question 16

why has social class voting declined?

Answer 16

-con support among the working class was understood to be the result of deference, where some members of the class ‘defer’ to those whom they considered their superiors.
-some lower-middle and working class voters aspired to be middle class and so voted Con.
-the switch of AB can be seen as potentially new labours achievement in attracting middle-class support
-class dealignment
-other reasoning behind voting.

Question 17

what role does gender play in voting?

Answer 17

-parties have used specific strategies to target women.
-but gap in party voting is usually quite small.
-since 1997 more women are likely to vote Labour.
-this gender divide can be due to different prioritised issues.
-but too large of a social group to make effective explanations for electoral results or voting.

Question 18

what role does education play in voting?

Answer 18

-major dividing line in UK politics.
-until 1960s those more educated were likely to vote CON.
-now evidence seems to suggest that education has a ‘liberalising’ effect, for example in 2017 47% of people who held a degree were likely to vote Labour or Liberal democrat while 36% Con.

Question 19

what role does age play in voting?

Answer 19

-more likely to become pro-conservative as they got older
-since 1997 appears to be the main dividing line replacing class.
-2017 67% of 18-24 voters voted Lab, 18% Con
-2017 59% of 65+ voters voted con, 23% Lab.

Question 20

why do people vote based on age?

Answer 20

-younger people tend to be more progressive and less conservative.
-as people age there is a tendency to focus more on rational, self-interested issues rather than wider issues.
-younger people have fewer responsibilities whereas later in life you develop a family career etc which lead to cautious views.
-

Question 21

how does ethnicity effect voting?

Answer 21

-Con have reputation of supporters and party opposing immigration and equal rights while Labour have passed major anti discrimination legislation.
-2017 BAME voted 65% Lab and 21% Con.

Question 22

how does region effect voting?

Answer 22

-due to uneven distribution of wealth income prosperity
-south of England is very solidly Con.
-Labour dominates in London
-Labour leads in the north of England

Question 23

what effects turnout?

Answer 23

-how important the election may be and how close the outcome is forecasted to be.

Question 24

how does age effect the turnout?

Answer 24

-younger votes are more reluctant to turn out and vote than older generations.
-for example 2019, 47% of 18-24 voted
-2019 74% of 65+ voted.
-this means that it benefits CON as younger voters tend to vote more for labour.

Question 25

why is there a decline in voting for younger voters?

Answer 25

-widespread disillusion with conventional politics amongst the young, which may be caused by politicians introducing policies which discriminate against the age group.
-apathy, where the group believe that politics has nothing to do with what concerns the young and that voting wont make a difference.
-finding other ways to participate in politics like e-petitions, social media campaigns etc.
-more interested in single issues than consistent voting
-feel the need to abstain as none of the parties is worthy of their support.

Question 26

how does class effect turnout?

Answer 26

-members of the class AB are much more likely to vote than members of DE.
-further disadvantage for the labour party
-2019, 68% of AB voted.
-2019, 53% of DE voted.
-this is because they feel that the outcome wont make any difference

Question 27

how does valence effect how people vote?

Answer 27

-voters make their decision based on the candidate they think is most likely to run the country effectively.
-most political commentators today argue that valence is the most important predictor of voting behaviour.

Question 28

how does governing competency effect voting? and what is it?

Answer 28

-the perceived ability of the governing party in office to manage the affairs of the state well and effectively.
-decide which party has done the best

Question 29

how does leadership effect voting?

Answer 29

-voters like strong leaders with desirable personal characteristics.
-weak leaders are rarely supported: Ed Miliband suffered from being perceived as weak in the 2015 election.
-voters look for things like, record in office, compassion, decisiveness, apparent honesty and sincerity, strong leadership, clear vision and communication skills.
-Boris Johnson had 39% satisfied in 2019 and won.

Question 30

how does rational choice effect voting? what is it?

Answer 30

-theory that suggest people vote based on what they consider to be their own best interests, specifically what they gain from the new government.

Question 31

how does issue voting effect voting?

Answer 31

-voters will decide whom to vote for based on a single issue that means a great deal to them.
-could be environmental or BREXIT

Question 32

what factors effect individual voting?

Answer 32

-policies in manifestos
-tactical voting to block an unpopular party
-image and reputation of the party
-the leader
-how parties have performed in office
-key issues presented during the campaign.

Question 33

how do manifestos effect individual voting? what are they?

Answer 33

-list of policies a party sets out to try to appeal to voters and persuade them to vote for it.

Question 34

example of a manifesto?

Answer 34

-2019 Labour party
-4.3% increase per year in the health budget
-to renegotiate the brexit deal with a new UK-EU customs union.
-put final say referendum to the British people

Question 35

how does tactical voting effect voting? what is it?

Answer 35

-in elections many votes are considered wasted votes as they will have no impact on the outcome, for example voting for the green party.
-people may be frustrated by this and therefore may abandon their first party preference and vote instead for one of the parties that does have a chance of winning the seat and choose their most favoured and try to block their least favourite from gaining the seat.
-for example Green party supporters voting labour to keep out a Con candidate in a close Lab/Con contest.
-not clear what the impact is and evidence from Scotland suggests that tactical voting had no effect

Question 36

what newspapers are conservative?

Answer 36

-Daily Mail
-Telegraph
-sun is right leaning, but famously endorsed Tony Blairs new Labour in 1997

Question 37

what newspapers are Labour?

Answer 37

-Mirror
-Guardian usually does

Question 38

example of newspapers influencing voters?

Answer 38

-in response to the tory victory in 1992 ‘it’s the sun wot won it’
-politicians trying to gain their support, Blair worked hard to convince Rupert Murdoch to support new labour in 1997 and Cameron met with him 26 times during his first 15 months as PM.
-leading role in EU referendum when experts gave advice that we should stay in the EU
-the sun the daily mail and the telegraph all put up leave front pages may have been due to them.

Question 39

why is it argued that newspapers don’t impact voters?

Answer 39

-newspapers simply reflect the views of their readers and Con voters are likely to choose a newspaper which supports their ideas.

Question 40

example of social media effecting voters?

Answer 40

-YouGov survey after the 2017 election, 26% of adults reported that social media had influenced their vote compared to 32% who were influenced by newspapers and magazines.
-the Con majority in 2015 was helped by a 1.2 million spend on social media advertising which contrasted to Labours 16,000 spend.

Question 41

what has been the influence of the sun on elections?

Answer 41

• 2017 weaker now after the sun ran a lengthy ruthless campaign against Corbyn and he managed to wipe out the tory majority, after they labelled him as a ‘marxist extremist’ and a ‘terrorists friend’