voting behaviour and the media

2019 election stats

65% of 18-24 women voted labour

64% of 65+ women voted conservative

64% of BAME voted labour

2024 election stats

42% of 18-24 women voted labour

more men voted for reform than labour

37% of those who own outright voted conservative

1979 election

victory for the conservatives - Thatcher

promise of change, reduce taxation, reduce trade union power

first media election campaign

1979 election stats

conservatives spent 2.3 million compared to labours 1.6 mil

8.1% swing to the conservatives

47% of women voted conservative

conservative won a 43 seat majority

1997 elections

blair wins 179 seat majority

new labour- ideological shift of the party

conservatives divided and involved in several scandals leading to a public loss of faith

why did labour win the 1997 election

sleek election campaign and vote increased by an average of 12.5 %

median voter theory adopted by labour

blair backed by the sun which sold 3 mil papers per day

aligned the party with lib dems on constitutional reforms - thought to have added 30 seats to majority

‘it was the sun what won it’

71.4% turnout

role of the media 1979 election

based mainly on tv participation

advertisement agency Staachi and Staachi given the conservatives public relations account

campaign accurately planned

public perception 1979

press played an important role in the anti-labour campaign led by the sun

cost 2.3 mil compared to 1.6 mil spent by labour

thatcher portrayed as both a strong woman and a tender housewife

2019 election

365 seats for conservatives 43.6% of vote

labours lowest result since 1935

social class classification

AB - higher occupations e.g. banker, doctor, company director

C1- clerical and junior occupations e.g. teacher, social worker, office manager

C2- skilled manual occupations e.g. plumber, hairdresser, mechanic

DE- unskilled manual occupations, unemployed e.g. labourer, bar staff

what percentage of DE voted for labour in 2019

39%

what percentage of AB voted for conservatives in 2019

45%

what percentage of DE voted for labour in 1964

64%

does social class still matter in uk elections

yes : issues over taxation and welfare payments are closely linked to class, identifying with a party based on social class, regional voting tends to reflect class based issues

no : major issues such as brexit cross class lines, size of working class has declined, to be successful modern parties must appeal to a variety of social classes

gender and voting in elections

1979 40% of men voted labour, 31% in 2019

1979 47% of women voted conservative, 40% in 2017

education and voting

in 2017 47% of people with a degree were likely to vote labour or lib dem

53% of those with no qualifications were likely to vote conservative

age and voting

1979 42% 18-24 voted con

2019 21% 18-24 voted con

why can age determine voting behaviour

younger people tend to be more progressive

more young people desire change e.g. environmental protection and social justice

as people age and require more assets there us a tendency to focus on more self interested issues

how does ethnicity affect voting

1997 BAME voting labour 70%

2019 64% BAME voting labour

why are BAME more likely to vote labour

historically were employed in major cities in industrial roles - natural labour allies

concentration of voters in large cities which tend to be more socially liberal

conservative party image as being anti immigration - enoch powell rivers of blood speech

how does region affect voting

south of england is solidly conservative

labour dominates in london

labour is the dominant party in wales

broadcasting

must remain neutral

televised debates and leadership debates

gets message across

the press

its the sun what won it

newspapers are highly politicised

newspapers tend to reflect political views of their readers

social media

useful for small parties to gain recognition

helps influence political opinions

development of fake news

can stifle political discussion

1997 media campaign

lasted six weeks

both sampaigns focused on the leaders labours campaign was run from the mill bank media centre

‘education, education, education’ - labour focused on a pro-blair campaign

1997 election policies

conservatives tried to focus policies on economic recovery but issue of europe divided the party

labour focused on five pledges e.g. cut NHS waiting lists and get 250,000 unemployed under 25s into work

1997 voting stats

71% turnout

men and women equal likely to support labour

conservatives remained dominant with over 65s but labour won all other age groups

70% of BAME voted labor

conservatives won AB vote

2019 election party leaders

boris johnson benefited from being prime minister and relying on his existing reputation

appeared clear in his policy making

johnson absent for much of media campaign

social media attack ads were more prevalent

2019 election voting

con won clear majority of 80 seats giving them a strong mandate

28-24 65% voted labour

younger voters more likely to vote labour, tipping point is 39

2024 election stats

only 59.7% turnout with young people being far less likely to vote

television was the dominant media source

41% of 18-24 voted labour

conservatives gained a substantial lead in 65+ with 43% support

17% of men voted reform

1979 election statistics

76% election turnout

ABC1 - 59% voted con

labour led among the working classes

47% of women voted con

key changes in the media

tabloid press has become more partisan with the rise of social media

tabloid press has become more focused on scandal than informed debate

media has helped make politics a form of mass entertainment

development of 24 hour news has caused media outlets to create stories to fill slots

example of the press influencing politics

2009 daily telegraph published details of the expenses scandal as mps claimed expenses illegitimately which forced some to resign and increased the level of scrutiny on mps