ECL Topic 4 - Voting Behaviour and the Media Flashcards
(29 cards)
1
Q
Influence of social class on voting behaviour
A
- class difficult to define - comes down to economic characteristics
- most measures based on occupation
- categories - A, B, C1 - trad conservative, C2, D, E - trad Labour
- harder now to predict due to class dealignment, which has caused political pluralism and increased volatility of the voter
2
Q
Influence of region on voting behaviour
A
- strong patterns - inner cities, North of England, Scotland, and Wales more likely to vote Labour, South and shires more likely to vote Conservative
- potentially illustrates occupation
3
Q
Influence of gender on voting behaviour
A
- women typically more likely to vote Conservative due to emphasis on tradition
- men more likely to vote Labour due to association with key Labour communities eg trade unions
4
Q
Influence of age on voting behaviour
A
- older people more likely to vote Conservative due to higher income
- important as younger people are less likely to vote at all
5
Q
Influence of ethnicity on voting behaviour
A
- minority groups more likely to vote Labour - generally based on income
6
Q
Influence of partisanship on voting behaviour
A
- previously hugely significant - strong connection with a party
- party membership declined since 1950 - evidence of party dealignment
- due to change in economy, greater social mobility, and populist party policy
7
Q
Influence of valence on voting behaviour
A
- vote based on perceived party capability - leaders and reputation
- evaluations of a party’s positions and judgements of capability likely to be influenced by social groups and party identification
8
Q
Influence of rational choice on voting behaviour
A
- voters evaluate parties and make a conscious, self-interested choice based on a range of short term factors
9
Q
Influence of issue voting on voting behaviour
A
- people vote on salient issues eg NHS, economic growth, immigration
- often differs based on generation
- relies on education - assumes voters will make rational choices based on knowledge
10
Q
1979 election - background
A
- stagflation
- industrial strikes
- 1978-79 “Winter of Discontent”
- dissatisfaction with Labour government
11
Q
1979 election - key policies
A
- Callaghan - struggled with economic downturn, ignored Scotland referendum therefore vote of no confidence
- Thatcher - stronger, with more direction
12
Q
1979 election - campaign
A
- Thatcher campaign built around persona - posters, TV ads speeches very public. Saatchi and Saatchi - Conservative advertising company demeaning Labour
- Labour’s campaign weak due to Winter of Discontent
13
Q
1979 election - outcome/impact
A
- Cons - 339 seats
- Labour - 269 seats
- Lib Dems - 11 seats
14
Q
1979 election - how people voted
A
- mainly class-based voting - some class dealignment (41% of C2 for Thatcher)
- Thatcher appealed to housewife voters
15
Q
1997 election - background
A
- Conservatives in power for 18 years
- Major gov divided over Europe and associated with sleaze - contrasted with Blair’s dynamism and unity
- Labour 20% ahead in opinion polls
16
Q
1997 election - key policies
A
- good economic handling by Labour - poor from Conservatives
- Labour promised increased public spending
- Conservatives handled Europe badly
17
Q
1997 election - campaign
A
- Sun switched from Conservatives to Labour - huge readership
- Mandelson/Campbell - spin, worked press to advantage
- New Labour - rebranded party
- Pledge Cards - small loyalty cards circulated by Labour with key manifesto points
- Campaign song - Things Can Only Get Better
18
Q
1997 election - outcome/impact
A
- Labour - 418 seats
- Conservatives - 165 seats
- Lib Dems - 46 seats
19
Q
1997 election - how people voted
A
- gender - swing to Labour by both genders
- age - increased Labour vote among all age groups - 44% overall
- ethnicity - 82% of black voters for Labour
- region - Labour gained and Conservatives lost in every UK region
20
Q
2017 election - background
A
- snap election called by May to strengthen mandate for Brexit negotiations
21
Q
2017 election - key policies
A
- May appeared evasive and robotic, Corbyn more dynamic - “youth quake”
- Labour’s ability to handle the economy questioned
22
Q
2017 election - campaign
A
- opinion polls incorrect - Labour realised they weren’t going to win so focused on retaining rather than gaining seats
- Corbyn’s appearance targeted by Mail
23
Q
2017 election - outcome/impact
A
- Conservatives - 318 seats
- Labour - 262 seats
- Lib Dems - 12 seats
- hung Parliament, therefore May had to make a deal with the DUP to form a government
24
Q
2017 election - how people voted
A
- age most dominant factor - 66% of 18/19 year olds voted for Labour, 69% of 70+ voted for Conservatives
- more women voted for Labour due to healthcare focus
25
Role of print media
- not bound by due impartiality - RW: Mail, Express, Telegraph, Times, LW: Mirror, Guardian
- enable owners to wield political influence - attractive to business tycoons eg Murdoch, Maxwell, Black
- internet has reduced newspaper sales and readership however free online newspaper sites have attracted audience
- newspaper reflects rather than influence reader views - cognitive dissonance
- influence perhaps over exaggerated eg 2017, tabloids hostile to Corbyn yet his vote share increased by 9.6%
- can enact change eg Mirror x Justice for Gurkhas for residency rights
- hostile attitudes can encourage negative attitudes to stimulate the government to drop policy eg dementia tax or exacerbate developing scandals eg Hancock Affair
26
Influence of broadcast media
- television and radio required to maintain certain standards of impartiality - not always practiced eg 2019 ITV leaders debates restricted to Johnson and Corbyn
- television objectivity challenged by privately funded/foreign news channels eg GBN openly RW
- political leaders seek to establish profile so appoint former journalists eg Campbell
- some leaders don't come across well on TV eg Miliband
- TV can be used to advantage eg Blair "People's Princess"/Johnson COVID updates
- televised PMQs to demonstrate leadership strength
- can disrupt image eg Iraq violence
- 62% of people cited TV influence in 2015 election
27
Influence of social media
- reads algorithms and continues to feed us content, reinforcing existing prejudice
- memes, headlines, and online debates can encourage opinions without supporting evidence eg Twitter
- can encourage cascade of information eg gov position on Ukraine
- not bound by Ofcom, therefore fake news spreads eg anti-tax conspiracies
- 2017 election, Labour had double the amount of Conservative Twitter profiles - could have helped increase vote share
- important for social movements eg MeToo
- can be used as a test of public reactions by politicians
28
Opinion polls - beneficial?
Yes
- politicians engage with issues important to the public
- show changing attitudes eg after Ukraine invasion, perceived Russian threat 34% to 64%
- public outrage eg party gate
- encourages turnout if opinion polls show close vote eg 1992 OPs showed hung parliament, therefore 77.7% turnout
No
- not always accurate - politicians can campaign on misinformation
- public can focus too much on opinion polls - tactical voting
- false confidence eg Brexit, 56 OPs said remain, 10 said Leave therefore Cameron confident
- undermine conviction - politicians focused on popularity
- can discourage voter turnout if there's a large split eg 2001 Labour dominance
- lead can also discourage campaign urgency eg 2017 Conservatives felt win was secure
29
Impact on elections
- Thatcher and Falklands - victory saved deterioration due to media praise, renewed image
- Major's Conservative sleaze - negative view of questionable morals, emphasised by press
- Tony Blair Iraq - seen as war criminal, New Labour hugely criticised by press and public
- Partygate
