voting behaviour and the media 4.1 - case studies. Flashcards
What is the importance of class in determining voting behaviour?
Back in the 1960s, 80% of people voted the way their social class indicated. However nowadays class is not a clear indication to how someone will vote. - in 1964, 64%of DE class voted Labour, in 2017 59% voted labour (lots of young people voted). in 1964, 78% of DE voted Conservative, in 2017 43% voted Conservative.
What is class-dealignment?
Feeling that you are not part of a certain class and therefore not voting the way your class would indicate you might.
What is the importance of gender in determining voting behaviour?
There is little deviation between the percentage of woman and men voting for each party, although women have a slight tendency to vote Labour.
In 2017 35% of women voted Labour while 42% of women voted Labour.
What is the importance of age in determining voting behaviour?
There is a strong correlation between party support and age.
In 2017 67% of 18-24s voted Labour and 18% voted Conservative.
In 2017 59% of 65+ voted Conservative and 23% voted Labour.
However in 1979 42% of 18-24s voted Conservative while 41% voted Labour.
What is the importance of ethnicity in determining voting behaviour?
There is a strong correlation between party support and ethnicity.
1997 18% of BME voters voted Conservative while 70% voted Labour.
2017 2% of BME voters voted Conservative while 65% voted Labour.
although the correlation has decreased overtime, ethnicity has always been extremely important in determining voting behaviour.
What is the importance of region in determining voting behaviour?
Some correlation between region and voting behaviour.
In 2017 37% of North England electorate voted Conservative, 53% voted Labour. 54% of South England voted Conservative, 29% voted Labour.
Due to un even distribution of wealth the UK, South has always been richer than the North perhaps why the South votes Conservative and the North votes Labour.
What is Partisan dealignment?
Partisan dealignment is when voters who used to be core voters no longer attach themselves to the party they once identified with, closely associated with class dealignment.
what are core voters?
Core voters invariably support one of the main parties, mostly fall into social patterns based of social class and region.
What are the reasons for and Impact of party policies in the 1979 election?
Seats won by Conservatives were mainly Ab and C1 voters, a majority of 43 seats.
Policies on tax reduction were popular after Labour’s Winter of discontent.
Orchestration of the media which helped built support for both parties.
What were the campaign techniques used in the the 1979 election?
Very presidential, focussing on the leader rather than the party.
Orchestration of the media to create a strong image.
1979 Wider political context?
James Callaghan received a vote of no confidence but was still the preferred candidate due to the misogyny at the time.
Thatcher was seen as less experienced and less in touch with the local people.
What are the reasons for and impact of party policies in the 1997 election?
New Labour adopted the Third Way which appealed to the middle class. Labour therefore won 418 seats, a majority of 179.
Labour seemed more competent with the NHS.
Labour said they would make Britain more democratic +promoted decentralisation of power.
What were the campaign techniques used in the 1997 election?
The campaign was 2 weeks longer than usual.
Good use of the media
Broke away from traditional out-of-date strategies.
1997 Wider political context?
Blair was young and inspiring and had a great media image while John Major was considered grey and unexciting.
There was a sleaze and sex scandal amongst Conservative MPs.
Image of Conservatives was bad, after 18years it was tired and disunited.
What are the reasons for and the impact of party policies in the 2017 general election?
After the electorate voted to leave the EU, the Conservatives made it clear they wanted a hard Brexit.
Labour’s stance on leaving the EU is to this day unclear.
May have influenced voters to vote Conservative.
Labour’s promise to abolish Tuition fees probably explains the high turnout of young people.
