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A Level Politics - Component 1 > 4. Voting behaviour and the media > Flashcards

4. Voting behaviour and the media Flashcards

1
Q

What is a manifesto?

A

In a general election, in a document each party launches a list of policies that will be introduced if they’re introduced to government

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2
Q

What is Mandate?

A

The authority to govern which a government derives from an election victory

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3
Q

What are the three key general elections from 1970-2010

A
  • 1979 general election
  • 1997 general election
  • 2010 general election
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4
Q

What did the 1979 general election initiate?

A
  • 18 years of Conservative rule, under Margaret Thatcher up to 1990 and then under John Major to 1997
  • Seen as bringing to an end years of post-wars consensus
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5
Q

Why was the 1979 general election called?

A

After James Callaghan’s minority Labour government lost a vote of no confidence in the HofCs (most recent time that had happened)

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6
Q

What was Thatcher’s and John Majors initial majority from the 1979 general election onwards?

A
  • Thatchers was modest, but it increased in 1983 and 1987
  • John Major clung to power in the 1992 election
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7
Q

What did the 1979 general election make the Labour Party lead to?

A

Labour descended into a prolonged period of left-right infighting over policy until the reinvention of the party under Tony Blair enabled it to return to power in 1997

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8
Q

What was the turnout of the 1979 general election?

A
  • Conservative win
  • 76% turnout
  • 43 majority size
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9
Q

What did the 1997 general election lead to?

A

The landslide victory of New Labour, which removed John Major’s Conservatives from office and opened the way to 13 years of Labour government

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10
Q

Who became PM at the 1997 general election and how long were their run?

A

Tony Blair was PM until 2007 when he was succeeded by Gordon Brown

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11
Q

What was the result of the 1997 general election relating to another political party?

A

Libdems emerged as a significant third force at Westminster

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12
Q

What happened to the Conservatives after the loss at the 1997 general election?

A
  • They were troubled by ongoing divisions, poor leadership and an inability to appear relevant to contemporary society
  • They were unable to dislodge Labour from power in the next two elections (2001 and 2005)
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13
Q

What was the turnout of the 1997 general election?

A
  • Labour win
  • 71.4% turnout
  • 179 Majority size
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14
Q

What was the result of the 2010 general election?

A
  • Saw Gordon Brown removed from office, ending the New Labour era
  • Conservative dislodged Labour and David Cameron became PM
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15
Q

What impact did the 2010 general election have on the Conservatives?

A
  • David Camerons Conservatives increased their share of seats, benefiting from 4 years of efforts at modernisation under their new leader
  • Cameron won a slender Conservative majority in the 2015 general election
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16
Q

What did the Conservatives have to do for the first time since 1945 after the 2010 general election?

A
  • As they didn’t gain an independent majority, they had to form a coalition with the Lib dems
  • Against predictions, the coalition survived a full term, partly due to the Fixed Term Parliament Act on which the Lib dems insisted
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17
Q

What was the turnout of the 2010 general election?

A
  • Conservative win
  • 65.1% turnout
  • The size of the majority was none following the election; the Conservative-Lib dem coalition that was formed afterwards had a majority of 77
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18
Q

What are some factors that explain the outcome of different electoral contests?

A
  • The impact of party policies
  • The manifesto
  • The techniques that parties use in their election campaigns, and etc.
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19
Q

How does ‘party policies and manifestos’ explain the outcome of the 1979 general election?

A
  • Both the Labour and Conservative manifestos were notable for their moderation
  • Both gave high priority to bringing inflation down
  • Callaghan came from Labour’s traditional centre-right and he resisted pressure for more extreme proposals from his party’s left wing
  • Thatcher’s policy statement contained very little indication that she intended to move her party to the right
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20
Q

How does ‘the election campaign’ explain the outcome of the 1979 general election?

A
  • The Conservatives adopted many of the techniques of modern advertising
  • The Labour campaign lacked awareness of the finer points of presentation, whereas Thatcher proved amenndable to her advisers’ invention of photo opportunities
  • Although the Conservatives outpaced Labour in the opinion polls, when voters were asked who would make the better prime minister, Callaghan was 20 points ahead of Thatcher on average
  • In spite of Callaghan’s mistakes, voters still respected his air of experience
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21
Q

How does ‘the wider political context’ explain the outcome of the 1979 general election?

A
  • Weakness of Labour government led to Thatcher’s victory
  • Despite Callaghan’s popularity and economic signs, Conservative win was expected
  • Callaghan’s inability to control military trade unions gave Conservatives an advantage
  • ‘Crisis? What crisis?’ - Callaghan’s dismissive response created a powerful Conservative theme
  • An Election was triggered by withdrawal of nationalist support after Scottish and Welsh devolution referendums
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22
Q

How does ‘party policies and manifestos’ explain the outcome of the 1997 general election?

A
  • ‘New Labour’ propelled modernisation and balanced traditional policies, avoiding alienating middle-class voters.
  • Blair prioritised law and order, reassuring voters amid rising crime rates, and emphasised ties to the business community.
  • Labour gained support from influential press like The Sun and Times
  • Blair’s emphasis on constitutional reform found common ground with the Liberal Democrats, enabling tactical voting in marginal seats and potentially adding 30 seats to Labour’s majority.
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23
Q

How does ‘the election campaign’ explain the outcome of the 1997 general election?

A
  • New Labour placed a emphasis on developing a professional vote-winning machine and it employed public-relations experts to handle the media, used focus group to assess public opinion and systematically targeted marginal seats rather than safe seats (the importance of the strategy shouldn’t be exaggerated)
  • Labours share of the vote increased on average by 12.5% in its target seats, but by 13.4% in constituencies that it neglected (their lead in the opinion polls declined over the campaign)
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24
Q

How does ‘the wider political context’ explain the outcome of the 1997 general election (labour win)?

A
  • Conservative self-inflicted damage post-1992 election was crucial
  • The pivotal failures of John Major’s government
  • No ‘feel good factor’ as recovery didn’t translate into tax cuts or increased public service investment.
  • Monthly polls consistently favored Labour over Conservatives from autumn 1992 onward.
  • Conservatives lost their reputation as efficient economic managers and couldn’t regain it.
  • ‘Sleaze’ scandals, EU disputes, and weak leadership confirmed the image of Tory incompetence.
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25
Q

How does ‘party policies and manifestos’ explain the outcome of the 2010 general election?

A
  • Little distinction among the three main parties on key election issues
  • All three parties pledged savings without compromising essential public services.
  • Varied stances on the timing and extent of public spending cuts.
  • Conservatives advocated immediate cuts; rivals argued for a gradual phase-in to protect the fragile economic recovery.
  • Since 2008, Cameron’s team targeted Labour’s alleged economic mismanagement, emphasising overspending and ineffective banking regulation. This resonated with voters; in one poll, 59% believed Labour’s extra spending was wasted.
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26
Q

How does ‘the election campaign’ explain the outcome of the 2010 general election?

A
  • Conservatives intensely targeted marginal seats early in the 2005-10 parliament, testing policies and emphasising support for vital public services. Despite efforts, they fell 20 seats short of a majority.
  • Labour emphasised Gordon Brown’s unscripted encounter with a voter in Rochdale where he called her a ‘bigoted woman.’ The incident, though media-seized, had limited significance as Labour still held Rochdale, and Brown was already trailing in polls.
  • The 2010 campaign featured televised debates with the three main party leaders, a notable innovation.
  • Brown, perceived as wooden, gained criticism for frequently saying ‘I agree with Nick’ during debates
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27
Q

How does ‘the wider political context’ explain the outcome of the 2010 general election?

A
  • Gordon Brown’s choice of election date impacted his outcome. His decision against an autumn election led to ridicule, damaging his reputation.
  • Despite emergency action during the financial crisis, Brown received little political credit and faced media criticism.
  • Media portrayed Brown as an insecure, ‘cantankerous workaholic’ with an unclear vision for the country
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28
Q

Before 1970 how were British voters influenced on who they would vote for?

A

Their social class background

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29
Q

Before 1970, generally who did working class people vote for in elections and why?

A
  • Labour
  • Linked to the trade union movement and looked after the interests of those who worked in the traditional heavy industries of coal, steel, textiles and shipbuilding
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30
Q

Before 1970, generally who did the middle class people vote for in elections and why?

A
  • Conservative
  • ‘Class voting’
  • In the final third of the 20th century, class began to lose its importance as a determinant of voting behaviour ‘class dealignment’
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31
Q

What is class voting?

A

Voting in line with the political party that supposedly best protects and serves the interests of a particular class

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32
Q

What is class dealignment?

A

The process where individuals no longer identify themselves as belonging to a certain class and don’t vote for the party they may be expected to, given their background

33
Q

How has the link between class and voting changed over the years?

A
  • Society has become more affluent and working-class people have aspired to a middle-class way of life
  • The differences between people in terms of class have not been as visible
34
Q

What is the trend between class and patterns of turnout at general elections?

A
  • Members of the electorate who have more at stake financially are more inclined to vote than the poor, who may believe that the political system delivers little for them
  • E.g. In 2010, 76% of the two highest social classes voted, compared with 57% of the two lowest classes
35
Q

What is partisan dealignment?

A

The process where individuals no longer identify themselves on a long-term basis as being associated with a certain political party

36
Q

Why has partisan dealignment been a key feature of the late 20th and early 21st century?

A
  • The bonds of voters has weakened as people became less likely to work in the same industry for their whole life
  • More people have become floating, or swing, voters who do not identify with a particular party and are often to persuasion as each election
37
Q

What is disillusion?

A
  • Disappointment from discovering something is not as good as one believed it to be
  • E.g. having no confidence in politics and politicians as being able to solve issues and make a difference
38
Q

What is apathy?

A
  • Lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern
  • E.g. not caring about political activity, which manifests itself in low turnout at elections and poor awareness of contemporary events
39
Q

What is the theory that is used to explain voting behaviour?

A

Rational choice theory

40
Q

What is the rational choice theory?

A

The idea that voters behave like consumers, deciding how to vote by evaluating what is the most beneficial option for them as individuals

41
Q

How is the rational choice theory possibly problematic?

A
  • It assumes that voters make rational choices based upon a knowledge of party policies
  • It doesn’t explain elections where voters feel differently about different issues, or where there is no single overriding issue
42
Q

Under rational choice theory, what questions are voters influenced by?

A
  • Who is the best potential PM among the available party leaders?
  • Who is expected to manage the economy most successfully?
  • Who will provide the best-quality public services?
43
Q

What is an example of rational choice theory in action?

A

Skilled workers voted Conservative for the first time in 1979, in response to Margaret Thatcher’s populist style, and because they had become disenchanted with the perceived incompetence of Labour governments in the 1970s

44
Q

What is governing competency?

A

The perceived ability of the governing party in office to manage the affairs of state effectively

45
Q

What is a variant of the rational choice theory and what does it do?

A
  • The economic voting model
  • Holds that voters are more likely to support a governing party if it has managed the economy successfully
  • Alternatively, they may give their support to a party that is thought likely to deliver economic prosperity, either to vote themselves and their families, or to the population as a whole
46
Q

What factors may influence voters under the economic voting model?

A
  • Inflation
  • Unemployment
  • Interest rates
  • Taxation
  • ‘Feel good factor’
47
Q

What is an example of a factor under the economic voting model in action?

A

The absence of the ‘feel good factor’ worked to the Conservatives’ advantage in the 2010 election, as they were able to portray Labour as having responded inadequately to the financial crisis

48
Q

How has the public image of party leaders become more important over the years?

A
  • As politics has become increasingly personalised
  • ‘Presidentialisation’ - suggestion that UK election campaigns are increasingly shaped by voters’ perceptions of the leading figures, as they are in US’ presidential contests
49
Q

What is an example where the public image of party leaders has impacted the voters choice?

A
  • Blair modelled himself to a great extent on Thatcher’s strong leadership qualities
  • Brown notoriously failed to come across as a dynamic, assured leader in 2010
50
Q

Historically who have women had a stronger preference to vote for and why?

A
  • Conservatives
  • (More than male voters did)
  • Maybe because women favoured a stable society and, as the main carers in most households, they responded to the traditional Tory emphasis on the family
51
Q

In the Blair era (97-07) what was the difference between male and female voting habits?

A
  • They lessened
  • Younger women were slightly more likely than men to vote Labour
  • Maybe because by the 1990s women were as likely as men to have a job outside the home so their worlds became more similar
  • Alternatively, they may have been responding to New Labour’s more family-friendly policies eg. the provision of free nursery places
52
Q

Who are older women more tended to vote for?

A
  • More likely to vote Conservative than younger women
  • (They’re similar to men in this sense)
53
Q

What is an example of women of different ages and their votes in an election?

A
  • 2010 election 30% of women 18-24 voted Conservative whereas for women 55+ it was 42%
54
Q

What is an example of the difference between male and women turnouts not being significantly different?

A
  • 2010 election, 66% of men and 64% of women voted
  • Turnout among men and women of the same social class was also very similar
55
Q

How does age influence the outcome of who people vote for?

A
  • Older people have a higher tendency to vote Conservative. - This is because they’re more likely to own property, they will vote for the party that can be expected to protect their material interest.
  • Also less likely to vote idealistically, or with the aspiration of fundamentally chaining society
56
Q

How are political outlooks shaped by voters’ experiences?

A
  • Older voters today will remember the difficulties faced by Labour governments in the 1970s and this may influence them to support the Conservatives
  • (Not a factor for the voters in their 20s)
57
Q

What is an example where voter outcome is related to the difference in age between voters?

A
  • In 2010 44% of 65+ favoured Conservatives
  • Whereas only 30% of 18-21s voted Conservatives
58
Q

Why is age an important factor in patterns of turnout?

A
  • Older people are more likely than the young to vote e.g. 76% of 65+s did in 2010 compared to 44% of 18-24s
  • Older people acquired the tendency to vote earlier in their lives and tend to see the outcome of elections as having more impact on their lives
  • Younger people are more likely to feel alienated from a political system that has notes they see it, made a significant difference to their lives
59
Q

How does ethnicity influence the outcome of who people vote for?

A
  • Ethnic minorities are traditionally more inclined to vote Labour, which has focus more strongly than its opponents on promoting multi-cultural and anti-discrimination agenda
  • There’s link to class as members of minority are disproportionately employed in low-wage jobs
60
Q

Where has there been exception when ethnic minorities don’t vote Labour?

A

Asians are more likely to support the Conservatives than voters of African descent as the former respond in particular to the party’s emphasis on small business values

61
Q

What is an example of a ethnic minority turnout in an election?

A

In 2010 ethnic minorities as a whole preferred Labour to Conservative by 60 to 16%

62
Q

How does region influence the outcome of who people vote for?

A
  • Most voters in the south and in rural areas and suburbs are typically Conservative supporters
  • Conversely, in industrial and urban areas, in the north of England, Wales and the Midlands there is much stronger loyalty to Labour
63
Q

What is the AB social class?

A

Higher and intermediate managerial, administrative and professional occupations

64
Q

What is the C1 social class?

A

Supervisory, clerical and junior managerial, administrative and professional occupations

65
Q

What is the C2 social class?

A

Skilled manual occupations

66
Q

What is the DE social class?

A

Semi-skilled and unskilled manual occupations, unemployed and lowest grade occupations

67
Q

What are the main ways the media can influence elections?

A
  • Newspapers
  • Television
  • Radio news programmes
  • Opposition polls
  • Social media
  • The press
68
Q

What is the impact of opinion polls on voters’ intentions?

A

Parties being ahead in opinion polls may cause voters to vote for the other party. (especially in close elections)

69
Q

What are two examples of opinion polls changing voter intentions?

A
  • 1992 - Most polls predicted increasing support for Labour at the expense of the Conservatives. Wavering voters then chose to vote for the Conservatives as they backed the government.
  • 2015 - Labour-SNP coalition became more likely, so Conservatives warned against it. Miliband becoming more likely to become PM caused more Conservatives to turn out.
70
Q

How has the press claimed to affect General Elections?

A

Most broadsheet papers have a political leaning.
Telegraph, Mail, Express have all been pro-Conservative and the Mirror and Guardian have been pro-Labour

71
Q

What is an example of the press claiming to affect General Elections?

A
  • The Sun, 1992 - Ruthlessly ridiculed Kinnock as unfit to be PM, when Major won the next election, they boasted that ‘It’s the Sun Wot Won it’.
  • The Sun, 1997 - Positioned itself behind Blair. Claiming ‘It was the Sun that swung it’.
72
Q

What is an argument against the press affecting General Elections?

A
  • The beliefs of the readers are reinforced by the newspaper rather than changing beliefs.
  • A Conservative reading the Mirror or Guardian is likely to be annoyed rather than have their vote swung
73
Q

What is an example of the press doing very little to affect GE results?

A

Relentless attack on Corbyn by The Sun, the Daily Mail and Daily Express did not lead to a reduction in vote, as Corbyn enjoyed a 9.6% swing to Labour.

74
Q

How has the press’ effect on General Elections shifted over time?

A

Reduced, more people get their news from the television than any other method. The only age demographic that still receives their news from broadsheets / tabloids are over 65’s.

75
Q

How can television affect voting tendencies?

A
  • BBC and ITN report news impartially with no political leaning either way.
  • However, politicians can use the television to their individual advantage or become victims of it.
76
Q

How did television affect Thatcher?

A

As PM, she softened her voice, wore bolder and less fussy outfits. She also appeared on sympathetic programmes such as Radio 2’s The Jimmy Young show.

77
Q

How did televised debates affect the 2010 General election?

A

Clegg had equal coverage with Brown and Cameron. Both Brown and Cameron admitted that ‘I agree with Nick’ which massively boosted the Liberal Democrat campaign.

78
Q

How can social media affect general elections?

A
  • Younger people use it a lot and would gain a lot of their attention
  • Way of parties to promote and advertise their campaign to the younger people who don’t use the other means of media e.g. newspapers and polls etc
  • Social media allows political parties to tailor their advertisements to different demographics in the hope of increasing their share of the vote.
79
Q

How did social media affect the 2017 general election?

A

The failure of young people to turn out in the Brexit referendum in 2016 led to a huge social media, particularly by the Labour Party to rally young voters in 2017

A Level Politics - Component 1 (7 decks)

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