Voting behaviour and the Media

Question 1

What is partisan dealignment, and give some examples to suggest that this may be the general pattern

Answer 1

Partisan dealignment
- the process by which individuals no longer identify themselves on a long term basis with a particular party
- in 1964-66, 64% of C2, D and E voters (working class or manual voters) voted for Labour
- at the same time, 62% of A,B and C1 voters (middle class and upper class) voted for the Conservative party

Question 2

What is class dealignment

Answer 2

• the process by which individuals no longer identify themselves with a particular social class

Question 3

What are the three main causes of partisan dealignment?

Answer 3

• increased education - as workers are becoming more educated, they make more informed decisions rather than sticking to the traditional views that they have always held
• changes in parties’ ideological stances - there have been shifts in parties’ policies over time, which may alienate some traditional voters and appeal to non-traditional supporters
• impact of the media - wider access to sources of political information, meaning that parties can develop different ways of appealing to as many voters as possible. Therefore, the electorate becomes more informed, whereas previously it might have been limited to one newspaper which was always projecting the same ideological stance.

Question 4

what are the causes of class dealignment?

Answer 4

• changing class systems - the manual workforce has shrunk, from 58% of the population in 1961 to 29% in 2013, therefore, there is a new working class
• cross class locations - social class has become less clearcut
• embourgeoisement - the working class has become more affluent, causing them to think more about themselves as part of the middle class. This might encourage more selfishness and optimism when it comes to deciding policy positions

Question 5

what is Rational choice theory

Answer 5

the idea that people make rational choices and vote to achieve what is in their own best interests

Question 6

Issue/position voting - what is it

Answer 6

when voters base their decisions on the policies that the party pledges to offer.