Participation

In 2021, according to a YouGov Poll, how many people believed there was a fair to significant amount of corruption in UK politics?

80%

In a 2021 YouGov poll, how many people believed there was absolutely no corruption in UK politics?

1%

What was the turnout of the 2024 general election?

59.7%

What was the turnout of the 2001 general election?

59.4%

Between 1964 and 1997, what was the average turnout in general elections?

74.5%

What was the average general election turnout in 2005-2019?

65.7%

What was the turnout of the 2017 election?

68.7%

This is the highest turnout there had been since 1997, perhaps reflecting the high-stakes nature of Brexit and getting a good exit deal to voters

What was the turnout in the 2019 general election?

67.3%

Define the phrase ‘Participation Crisis’

• A situation in which a large proportion of the public become disengaged from politics, and participation in political activities declines

• There is evidence that participation in traditional forms of participation, such as voting in elections or joining political parties is declining. This reflects distrust in the political system, lack of legitimacy of elections, poor representation and partisan dealignment

• Other participation forms are becoming more popular such as e-petitions, social movements and pressure group membership: ‘pick and mix politics’ means that people can support individual causes that align with their beliefs, rather than aligning themselves with a single party ideology

Define the term ‘Partisan Dealignment’

A progressively smaller number of voters align themselves with, or feel a strong attachment to one of the major political parties

What are the causes of Partisan Dealignment?

• Class Dealignment has occurred: The relationship between class and party has weakened. Voting for a party may now depend on single issues, such as their stance on immigration, or along other new political cleavages, such as education level or occupation (Eg. whether someone works in the public or private sector), rather than traditional social cleavages like class

• Political parties have adopted centrist or populist policies in an attempt to gain a wider range of voter support, this means that the major parties don’t have a stable and fixed ideology that can be definitively defined as either left or right. Shifts in party’s ideology and policies since the 1980’s in response to class dealignment may alienate some of the parties’ traditional supporters

• The media and internet means that people have access to a range of sources of information, rather than relying on the traditional media that their social class consumed as a source of information, such as a newspaper

• Decline in social capital (Bowling Alone): Post-industrial society has become more fragmented, diverse, fluid, individualistic and consumer-oriented, social attachments and loyalties of all kinds have weakened

What are the consequences of Partisan Dealignment?

• With party support falling, there are a greater number of ‘swing’ voters

• Parties may use populism to entice these ‘swing’ voters to support them

• Increased Electoral Volatility: Results of elections are becoming increasingly uncertain as there have been larger numbers of voters who swing from one party to another, becoming increasingly unpredictable, because of the lack of party loyalty

• The increasing popularity of minor parties who cater to ideologies that the main parties often overlook. Eg. Whilst some complain of the conservatives and labour being too centrist, minor parties such as the Green Party and UKIP cover the left and far-right of the political spectrum, for voters who feel alienated from the main two parties

• Increasing factions within parties, since a wide range of voters are likely to support each party. The main two parties have become an ideological ‘broad church’ with parties like Labour having factions for socialists, social democrats, centrists and liberals