voting behaviour

what is a psephologist?

a political scientist who studies election results and develop models or theories to explain the way the electorate votes

what can psephologists use voting behaviour to predict?

probable trends in future voting behaviour

what are primacy factors?

long term factors such as social class, gender or education

what are recency factors?

short term factors such as local issues or the personality of party leaders

what is the social class theory?

the electorate vote according to their social class, they are also influenced by factors such as gender, age, religion and ethnicity

what is the party identification theory?

the electorate identify with particular political parties and this is reinforced by family or friends

what is the dominant ideology theory?

the electorate vote depending on how they are influenced by the media and opinion polls

what is the voting context theory?

the electorate vote according to the type of elections and whether they wish to protest, abstain or vote tactically

what is the issue voting model?

the electorate vote according to one issue they place above others and choose a party or candidate that closely reflect their view

what is the rational choice theory?

the electorate vote according to a rational judgement based on which party has policies that are in their own best interest

what is the economic or governing competency?

all voters desire for their country to be prosperous, the electorate will vote for a party they believe is competent and able to deliver a strong economy

what are swing-voters?

voters who do not remain loyal to a particular party and are less predictable in the way they vote

why have political scientists previously created fictional characters?

to exemplify the key demographic of swing-voters a party must target to win an election

what demographic of swing-voters was the 1980's fiction character Essex Man used to exemplify?

the working class and their ambitions for a higher standard of living, attracted to Thatcher's promise of low taxes and the right to buy council houses

what demographic of swing-voters was the 1990's fiction character Mondeo Man used to exemplify?

ambitious, self-employed men in the south east of england who had previously voted for Thatcher, this was seen to win a new labour victory

what demographic of swing-voters was the 2024's fiction character Mortgage Man used to exemplify?

middle aged men who are homeowners with a modest income and blame the conservatives for rising costs, used by Starmer to achieve labour victory

what does mass media refer to?

the main means of communication used in a society

how have newspapers been considered an important influence on voting behaviour?

they are highly partisan and aligned with political parties

which newspapers have been shown to align with the conservatives?

the Sun, Daily Mail and the Telegraph

which newspapers have been shown to align with labour?

the Mirror and the Guardian

how did media mogul Rupert Murdoch have a strong influence on UK politics between the 1980's and 2000's?

through his media empire News Corp which owned several UK newspapers such as the Sun

how has influence been shown as a perspective on the influence of newspapers?

newspapers have claimed to have direct effect on the voting behaviour of their readers, such as the Sun in 1992 claiming "its the Sun wot won it"

how has reinforcement been shown as a perspective on the influence of newspapers?

suggests newspapers enforce the views already held by their readers, as most people choose to read what reflects their own political views

how has agenda shaping been shown as a perspective on the influence of newspapers?

the press is unlikely to have direct influence on voting behaviour, though newspaper coverage can help to shape political agenda

what is the typical age of most newspaper readers?

50+

how has newspaper influence been shown to remain important?

the demographic of the typical age group to read newspapers has a high turnout, the 2022 conservative leadership election was chosen by 150,000 party members typically aged 50

why has it been difficult for political parties to exploit the medium of television?

channels are required to be non-partisan

how do political parties use television?

campaign adverts during general elections, and providing representatives on topical news shows

what was the result of the UK's first ever TV leader debate in 2010?

audience of 9 million viewers, with 25% claiming to have been influenced by

what evidence suggests the influence of TV debate is significant?

when Theresa May did not participate in a debate in 2017, her party lost 13 seats

what does the TV channel GB news show?

the difficulty of ensuring TV news remains non-partisan, as the channel is considered right-leaning and was launched with the aim of combining news and opinion-based content

where were opinion polls banned due to their influence?

in France the week before an election

how many opinion polls were produced by the main UK pollsters in the 2010 general election?

over 90

how are opinion polls believed to influence voters through the band wagon or nudging effect?

many of the electorate like to vote for a winner, and it was argued when opinion polls in 1997 pointed to a new labour victory, many chose to vote for them

how are opinion polls believed to influence voters through the boomerang effect?

the electorate may choose to not vote if polls suggest it will not make a difference, in 1992 labour boasted the opinion polls showed victory which may have discouraged some voters

which election is often identified as the first social media election?

the 2015 election

how has twitter been a social media platform used to influence voting behaviour?

Elon Musk rebranded twitter in 2023 to make it the most political social media platform, allowing MP's to speak directly to their constituents without the filter of the press

how many MP's regularly used a twitter account in 2024?

593

how have tiktok and instagram been social media platforms used to influence voting behaviour?

parties can reach younger voters and grow their membership, such as the greens employing tiktok in 2025

how have echo chambers been a concern about social media influencing voting behaviour?

concerns about online media stifling constructive political debate with the reinforcement of polarised opinions, with many experts warning against algorithms and promotion of outrageous news

how much of the electorate belonged to a social network in 2015?

half compared to one-third in 2010