Factors affecting Voting Behaviour 4.1

Question 1

Education

Answer 1

general trend: no qualifications = vote conservative
degree = vote labour

Question 2

Education (facts)

Answer 2

2017 - 52% of those with zero qualifications voted Conservative, whereas 48% of those with a degree voted Labour

2019 - 59% of those with no qualifications voted Conservative, whereas 39% of those with a degree voted Labour

Question 3

Region

Answer 3

traditional North/South divide
voters in poorer areas tend to support labour
traditionally Labour do better in cities while Conservative do better in the countryside
local geographical issues are very important to most voters

Question 4

Region (facts)

Answer 4

2019:
Northwest - 46.5% Labour
Southwest - 52.8% Conservative
London - 48.1% Labour
East Midlands - 54.8% Conservative

‘Red Wall’ (broke 2019)

Question 5

Ethnicity

Answer 5

trend: clear majority of ethnic minorities vote labour due to stronger support for multicultural agenda

trend for white voters = less prominent but still Conservative Majority

Question 6

Ethnicity (facts)

Answer 6

2017: 65% of ethnic minorities voted for Labour

Question 7

Age

Answer 7

trend: older voters = Conservative, younger voters = Labour

sharp spike in this trend recently

Question 8

Age (facts)

Answer 8

2017 - Labour had 47% more support from 18-19 yr olds
BUT only 57% of 18-19 yr olds voted, compared to 84% of those over 70 yrs.

2019 - over 55s voted mostly Conservative, 18-24s vote mostly Labour

Question 9

Gender

Answer 9

trend: over past 50 years, there is little to suggest influence - party support = broadly mirrored

historically women = more inclined to Conservatives due to emphasis on family values

21st Century, men = Conservative and women = Labour (tiny majority)

Question 10

Gender (facts)

Answer 10

studies show a prioritising of different issues - eg, men - defence spending, women - opposition to cuts in public sector

Question 11

Social Class and Facts

Answer 11

2 types:
ABC1 - historically more likely = Conservative
C2DE - historically more likely = Labour
1974 -1992, >50% ABC1 voted Tories
in 1974, >50% C2DE voted Labour

But since partisan and class dealignment, this figure has switched.

Question 12

What is Partisan Dealignment?

What is Class Dealignment?

Answer 12

the process of not having a long-term loyalty to a particular party

the process of voters not associating themselves with a particular class (due to a larger middle class, decrease in TUC power, privatisation and greater educational opportunities)

Question 13

Is Social Class still important?

Answer 13

YES: plurality of middle still = Conservative, until 2019 votes for Labour from the working class were increasing, class links to other factors eg education/ region, new trend of ABC1 = Labour and C2DE = Conservative} class still aligns just not traditionally

NO: Conservatives broke ‘Red Wall’ in 2019, majority of voters don’t align, other factors eg age are becoming more important

Question 14

Other Factors

Answer 14

rational choice voting

governing competency

issue voting

media influence

opinion polls

tactical voting