Voting behaviour and the media - unit 1 Flashcards
What is the AB social class?
Higher and intermediate administrative, professional occupations - judge, doctor
What is the C1 social class?
Supervisory, clerical and junior managerial, administrative, professional occupations - teacher, IT manager
What is the C2 social class?
Skilled manual occupations - hairdressers, mechanic
What is the DE social class?
Semi-skilled and unskilled manual occupations, unemployed and lowest grade occupations - Bar staff, call centre staff
3
Why was social class used to be seen as the clearest way of determining which way someone would vote?
- Part of your identity - middle class or upper - Con, working class - Lab
- Both major parties developed strong, deep roots within communities - Labour - working men’s clubs
- It was rational
Deviant voters
A person who votes for the opposite part that they would traditionally would do based on their class
Floating/swing voters
Someone who changes their vote from election to election, changing each time
Evidence that there has a marked decline in voting on the basis of this in the last 20 years
23% of DE voting for Labour declined between 2015 and 1964
33% of AB voting for Con declined between 1964 and 2019
3 and an example
Why have people stopped voting with social class in mind?
- Class dealignment. A tendency for voters to no longer identify themselves in terms of class
- A drive towards the center ground in party politics - particularly new Labour, under Blair, as well as Con under Cam
- Other factors more important - like the competence of the two parties
- 2010 - only 38% voted being ‘class voters’
1 example
How has education been a factor for voters?
58% of people with low educational levels (GSCE or below voted Con compared to 25% Lab
Example for yes, example for no
How is gender a factor for voters?
- Minimal unless compared to age
2019 election
Men 18-24 - 46% voted Lab compared to women 18-24 where 65% voted for con
But minimal - see that both 65% of men 65+ and women 65+ voted Con
Conclusions about age and voting in 2019
The generational gap in voting between Con and Lab parties grew past the 2017 record level
What trends went hand in hand with Red Wall Constituencies?
Most of the towns are former coal mining centres that have failed to find alternative sources of employment over the past 35 years - pushed young people to leave older people behind cause jobs don’t pay much
What issues did older voters place higher than younger voters
Older - Cultural ones over economic ones
Immigration over housing etc
Younger - poverty and cost of living
How age impacted the Brexit referendum
18-24 - 73% voted remain, 27% leave
65+ - 60% voted leave, 40% remain
Reasons for why young voters are seen as more left-wing and radical than other voters?
progressive, less responsibility
Ethnicity effects on voting
1997 - 70% of BME voting lab, 18% con
2019 - 64% - lab, 20% - con
Region effects on voting
2019 regional vote - con more votes in midlands
red wall fell - mining towns fell - such as sedgefield, workington, derbyshire, lab since 1970 dennis skinner gone
4
4 main reasons for the decline in voter turnout
- widespread disillusion with younger generation - politics has nothing to do with things young people care about
- away from traditional politics - development of tech
- more interested in single issues rather than ideologies - increased participation in pressure groups, online
- abstain - apathy - not worth their vot
2 examples
Evidence to suggest that turnout is starting to stop declining
- scot independence - 54% of 18-24, 72% travelled to vote
- 2017 ge increase in voting in younger ages - lab vote raised by 10% compared with 2015
4
Evidence for 2 party dominance
- two party dom bounced back - 2017 - 82% of vote for two main
- Under corbyn more ideological differences between main parties
- ukip and brexit parties upport has collapsed after issue was resolved - reform polling 13%
- fptp - 2 party system
3
Evidence AGAINST 2 party dominance
- partisan dealignment - people no longer identify themselves on two basis - 1970 - 89% voted lab/con, 2015 - 66%
- two parties leaned towards centre - little difference encouraging people to look elswhere to more ideological parties
- other parties emerged which attracts the support of two around key issues - ukip, green, brexit, snp
Valence issues
How you see the party
Issue voting
Voting on a particular issue
The Brexit Party
4
Qualities important for the PM to the public
- strong leadership, compassion, clear vision, charisma
Public opinion polls - does it matter if they are inaccurate
inaccurate 2017 - showed con lead 5% but only came 2% - yougov
2015 - overestimated lab vote and underestiated con vote
