4 Voting behaviour and media | Quizlet

Voting behaviour

Refers to the factors that influence how and why people choose to vote for a particular political party

Social factors

Social class

Age

Gender

Ethnicity

Education

Politcal factors

Party trust

Issue voting

Leadership

Economic competency

Geographical factors

Region

Red/blue walls

Urban vs rural

Short - term context

National crises

Scandals

Government record

Tactical voting

Social calss

Refers to a way of grouping people in society based on their economic and social status, such as job type, income and education.

Class dealignment

Is the weakening of the link between a person's class and the traditional party with which they would have been aligned to.

Partisan dealignment

Is the long-term decline of a voter being loyal to just one party.

Working class voting alignment

Labour party

Middle and upper class alignment

Conservative party

Social class tiers

AB - High managing jobs

C1 - Supervisory or junior managerial

C2 - Skilled manual workers

DE - Semi - and unskilled manual workers and unemployed

Age and voting behaviour

Younger voters tend to vote for left wing parties whilst older voters tend to vote for right wing parties.

Ethnicity and voting behaviour

Labour has gained more support from ethnic minority voters whillst conservatives have stronger support from white people.

Education and voting behaviour

From 1979 - 2015 graduates would be more likely to vote conservative but since brexit it has reversed as more graduates backed 'remain' in the referendum.

Dissolution

Public disappointment with politics that reduces trust and confidence in the political system.

Apathy

A lack of interest in politics that results in low levels of political participation.

Salient issue

An issue that is particularly important or noticeable to voters at a specific time.

Valence issue

Where all major parties agree on a goal

Opinion polls

Is a survey that asks a sample of people about their views on political issues, parties or their leaders, to estimate what the wider population thinks

Arguments for opinion polls

To guide party campaign strategy

Provide early warning of swings by voters

Help voters judge party momentum

Arguments against opinion polls

Polls can demobilise supporters

Margin of error and methodology failures

Polls can create self-fulfilling prophecies

Blue wall

Traditionally wealthier suburban constituencies in the south that vote conservatives.

Red wall

Usually working class constituencies usually in the north of England.

Traditional media is important

Agenda setting

Televised debates

Investigations

Advertising

Traditional media is not important

Party loyalty

Echo chambers

Social media

1979 general election context

Took place in the context of the severe unpopularity of the Labour government under James Callaghan following the Winter of Discontent. Public sector strikes and unemployment reached 1.5 million with inflation high.

1979 election results

Conservatives won with 339 seats and had made gains among skilled and semi-skilled workers, signalling early signs of class dealignment.

Factors affecting the 1979 general election outcome

Economic problems and labours governing record

Leadership perceptions

Conservative campaign strategy

Media influence

Impact of the 1979 election

Launched the thatcher era, with reductions in trade union power. Focus on economic change.

1997 general election context

Took place after 18 years of Conservative rule

The party had become associated with economic mismanagement, internal division and scandals due to Black Wednesday.

Black Wednesday (1992)

Public services, particularly the NHS and schools, were widely perceived as underperforming under Conservative leadership damaging conservative reputation.

1997 voting patterns

Voting behaviour showed clear realignment

Younger, more educated and middle-class voters increasingly shifted towards New Labour, reflecting a breakdown of traditional class-based voting patterns.

Factors affecting the 1997 general election

Voter fatigue with the conservatives

Economic context

Modernised image under Tony Blair

Conservative campaign weaknesses

Impacts of 1997 election

The election resulted in the largest Labour majority in history, giving Blair a powerful mandate for constitutional reform. Devolution was one of the policies implimented in his term.

Voting behaviours also shifted.

2010 general election context

The 2010 election occurred in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis

This had led to rising national debt, pressure on public spending and widespread public concern about economic management

2010 election results

No party won an overall majority, resulting in the first hung parliament since 1974. Conservatives had 306 seats and labour had 258 seats.

2010 voting patterns

Voting behaviour reflected declining loyalty to Labour and the Conservatives and growing openness to third parties, especially the Liberal Democrats, showing partisan dealignment.

Factors affecting the 2010 general election

Economic context and Labour's governing record

Campaign strategies

Public dissatisfaction after the expenses scandal

Impact of the 2010 general election

The election resulted in the first Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in modern UK politics

2024 general election context

The aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, economic pressures, and public services shaped voter attitudes.

Partygate - and leadership instability (Johnson → Truss → Sunak) weakened public trust

2024 election results

Labour secured a landslide majority despite a modest vote share, making it the most disproportionate election in UK history under FPTP. Labour has 411 seats and conservatives had 121 seats

2024 election voting patterns

Turnout was just 59.8%, the second-lowest on record, reflecting voter disengagement and frustration with mainstream politics,

Voting patterns showed ongoing dealignment, with traditional class, age and regional voting patterns becoming more fluid

Factors affecting the 2024 general election

Government instability and leadership perceptions

Labour's strategic repositioning

Media and communication

Impact of 2024 Election

Labour large parliamentary majority and enabling it to pursue its agenda for economic and institutional renewal.

The Conservative Party suffered a historically severe defeat

The result highlighted major weaknesses in FPTP