Voting Behaviour and the Media Statistics Flashcards
1979 general election result
In 1979, Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative party were elected, winning a small majority of 43 which increased in the 1983 and 1987 elections.
1997 general election result
In 1997, Tony Blair’s New Labour was elected with 418 seats, and the Labour Party remained in power until 2010. The Labour Party achieved a 179-seat majority.
Conservatives in the 1997 general election
The Conservatives were unpopular after the John Major government’s failings from the previous 5 years, and only won 30% of the vote.
2010 general election result
In 2010, the Conservative Party were the largest party with 306 seats. But, they were short of a majority so formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.
2010 general election unpopularity
Voters did not clearly favour the Conservatives over Labour, with polls suggesting 29% of voters felt that the Conservatives would be best for managing the economy compared to 26% for Labour.
Age affecting voting behaviour
In 2017, Labour had 47% more support from voters aged 18-19 than Conservatives.
In 2017, 84% of people over 70 voted but only 57% of people aged 18-19 voted.
Ethnicity affecting voting behaviour
In 2017, 65% of ethnic minorities supported Labour.
Age - 1979, 1997, 2010
In 1979 age was less significant, with a similar level of support for Labour (41%) and the Conservatives (42%) from voters aged 18-24.
In 1997 many more younger people supported the Labour party with 49% of voters aged 18-24 and 25-34 voting for Labour.
In 2010 there was a large difference among older voters, with 44% of voters aged over 65 supporting the Conservatives compared to 31% of voters supporting Labour.
Social class - 1979, 1997 and 2010
In 1979 class was important with the Conservatives winning 59% of the middle-class vote, whilst Labour won the largest share of the unskilled working class vote at 49%.
In 1997 Labour won 50% of the skilled working class vote, and 59% of the unskilled working class vote. In comparison, the Conservatives won 27% of the skilled working class vote and 21% of the unskilled working class vote.
In 2010 class played less of a role with the Conservatives winning the most middle-class support, at 39%, and Labour narrowly winning the most support of the unskilled working class.
Gender - 1979 and 1997
In 1979, 47% of women supported the Conservatives compared to 35% of women supporting Labour.
In 1997 more women supported Labour, with 44% voting for the party, and more men also supported Labour, with 45% voting for Labour compared to 31% for the Conservatives.
2017 Conservatives Facebook advertising
In 2017 the Conservatives spent over £2 million on Facebook advertising, including adverts which attacked the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Labour’s use of Snapchat
Labour reached out to voters on Snapchat, with a Jeremy Corbyn Snapchat filter viewed over 9 million times.
Households with internet access
Over 82% of households have internet access, which has led to more online media and online newspapers.
Role of television in elections
Research by the Electoral Reform Society stated that a BBC Question Time Leaders’ show where both leaders spoke on TV and answered questions, helped 34% of voters to decide who to vote for.
