Voting behaviour test

Question 1

Intro/points

Answer 1

• Historically, voting behaviour been closely linked to social class and region, other indicators like age and the media have since emerged.
• Some argue age and media are the new staples of voting indication because of increased age-based party alignment + the relationship between voting behaviour and newspapers.
• Others argue age and the media have not replaced social class and region because of the voting significance of a person’s employment and region.
• essay will argue that media and age have effectively replaced social class and region as the clearest indicators of voting.

Question 2

P1: Agree

Answer 2

• The view that… is accurate because of the influence of newspapers
• Source one details how YouGov…
• particularly true with the sun, which famously said ‘it was the sun wot won it’ claiming to be responsible for john majors conservative win in 1992 election, endorsement has since often determined the party that wins in a election
• direct correlation between a reader’s choice of newspaper + their voting behaviour, a significant chance reader is influenced to vote for the party the newspaper supports.
• Therefore it would be accurate to say … because voting because newspapers (a traditional form of media) often affect elections and so can be used for voting prediction.

Question 3

P2 disagree

Answer 3

• However, one reason it would be incorrect ….
• source states that a person’s social class and region still have considerable influence
• example of this is how UK elections reveal regional voting trends such as urban areas + the north being more likely to vote labour, those in the South are more likely to support Conservatives
• reason for this is south of England is typically wealthier so hold greater benefit from voting conservatives (who support low tax) whilst less affluent regions benefit more from a labour government which offers more financial support
• This means the view that… inaccurate because regions have varying levels of wealth which clearly drives motivations behind voting making it a reliable indicator.

Question 4

P3: agree

Answer 4

• One other reason… is accurate is because of an increase in age-based party alignment.
• Source claims age has become consistent factor in voting behaviour..
• clear example of where this connection is proved was in 2016 EU referendum with 60% of voters aged 65 or older voting ‘Leave’, in comparison to the 73% of voters aged 18-24 who voted ‘Remain’.
• other voting indicators like social class are liable to fluctuate because of single issue voting and class dealignment such as in 2019 general where labour and conservative votes more balanced regardless of class.
• However, a person’s age is a continuous reliable indicator to which party they will vote without the deviation seen in class and region making … an accurate one.

Question 5

P4: disagree

Answer 5

• Another reason why… incorrect is because of voting significance of a person’s employment.
• Source one says Conservatives led Labour by 11 points …
• Voters motivated by how parties attend to different sectors, for example the conservatives acted poor decisions making regarding the NHS during covid, with the failed track and trace app costing £37 billion and poor allocation of resources.
• NHS being public sector employment, the conservatives’ failures explain labour being 10 points ahead among public sector workers, whilst the private sector (were not affected) would favour conservatives.
• It would be incorrect to say… because how a government treats different employment sectors, influences how people vote, + a person’s employment is one factor of social class, so social class remains a relevant indicator.

Question 6

conclusion

Answer 6

• overall the view that.. is accurate
• region and class are still importnant but are prone to fluctuation making them redundant
• whilst age and media are more reliable, making them the clearer indicators