Voting Behaviour And The Media- Social Demographic Factors Affecting Voter Behaviour, Social Class Flashcards
Social class
The classification of people based on their occupations and, to some extent, their income. Social class is often expressed using social grades AB, C1, C2 and DE, which divide the population up into different professions.
Classifications
AB
C1
C2
DE
Describe AB classification
Higher and intermediate managerial, administrative and professional occupations
Typical occupations of :
AB classification
+ Banker
+ Doctor
+ Company director
* Senior executive
Describe C1 social classification
Supervisory, clerical and junior managerial, administrative and professional occupations
Typical occupation of :
C1
+ Teacher
+ Office manager
+ IT manager
+ Social worker
Describe C2 social classification:
Skilled manual occupation
Typical occupations of :
C2
+ Plumber
* Hairdresser
+ Mechanic
+ Train driver
Describe C2 social classification
Semi-skilled and unskilled occupations, unemployed and lowest-grade occupations
Typical occupations of:
C2 social classification
+ Labourer
+ Bar staff
+ Call centre staff
+ Unemployed
Class dealignment
A trend whereby fewer people associate themselves with belonging to a particular social class, decreasing the impact of class on voting behaviour.
Partisan dealignment
A trend whereby fewer voters are committed to, or loyal to, a specific party.
How important is social class in determining the way people vote?
+ Peter Pulzer once wrote that ‘Class is the basis of party politics, all else is embellishment and detail.’
+ Traditionally, the AB groups would largely vote Conservative, while the DE groups would largely vote Labour. They would do so based on perceptions that those parties would best represent their interests.
+ In the 1964 general election, Labour won 64% of DE voters while 78% of AB voters chose the Conservatives.
+ However, class dealignment has
resulted in partisan dealignment, affecting the importance of social class in determining electoral outcomes.
Important election years to know:
1964
1997
2017
2019
1964
% class AB voting Conservative
78
1964
% class DE voting Labour
64
1997
% class AB voting Conservative
41
1997
% class DE voting Labour
59
2017
% class AB voting Conservative
43
2017
% class DE voting Labour
47
2019
% class AB voting Conservative
2019
% class DE voting Labour
39
Arguments for Social class being important
+ Class divides in voting might be expressed in other, more subtle ways, such as the probability that black and minority ethnic (BME) voters in low-paid jobs might vote Labour, or that DE voters in Kent might vote Conservative.
+Education might be the new reflection of class, with 58% of those with GCSES or below voting Conservative and 43% of those with a degree or higher voting Labour in the 2019 general election.
+ Equally, class plays a significant role in how political parties fight campaigns — the Tories targeted the ‘left-behind towns’ in 2017 and 2019.
Arguments for Social class NOT being important
+ In the 21st century, class-based voting has been undercut by class dealignment and issue-based voting (e.g. Brexit).
+In the 2017 general election, the DE vote was split: 43% of this group voted Conservative and 47% Labour.
+ In 2019, the Conservatives won support from all social grades, including AB and DE.
+Class is therefore no longer as important, as there is no clear divide between how different social grades vote.
The significance of class-based voting can be evaluated as follows:
+ Class is no longer as reliable a predictor as it once was of how a person might vote.
+ It is important to note, however, that class-based voting may manifest itself through other characteristics, such as levels of education, which means that the significance of class in how a person votes cannot be completely discounted.
