Voting behaviour and the media Flashcards
1
Q
Name six social factors which influence voting behaviour.
A
Class Region Age Ethnicity Education Gender
2
Q
Which class does Labour rely on for votes?
A
Working class 64% in 1964 election
3
Q
Which class do the Conservatives rely on for votes?
A
Upper class 78% in 1964 election
4
Q
Why do the upper class like the Conservatives policies?
A
Low taxes and reduced welfare support appeal to people who rely less on the state.
5
Q
What has caused class based voting to be less clear since the 1970s?
A
Partisan dealignment
6
Q
Name an example where white working class people changed their vote to the Conservatives.
A
Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech in 1968
Wanted immigration control
7
Q
Who do typically more educated/university educated people vote for?
A
Traditionally Conservatives but now Labour.
8
Q
What percentage of people from Southern England voted Conservative in 2017?
A
54%
9
Q
What percentage of people from Northern England voted Conservative in 2017 and what does this show?
A
37%
‘Poorer’ and more industrial regions are less likely to vote Conservative.
10
Q
What is the most prosperous region in the UK?
A
South East- Conservatives do well here
11
Q
Name three rural areas which are classically Conservative.
A
Devon
Cumbria
Northumberland
12
Q
How many people in Scotland voted SNP in 2017?
A
37%
13
Q
Name a party which does badly under FPTP.
A
Lib Dems
14
Q
Since 1950, name two places which have always returned a LIb Dem MP to Westminster.
A
Orkney and Shetland- may not be able to identify with a main political party
15
Q
Which age group is more likely to vote Conservative?
A
Elderly
16
Q
Which two parties will younger people typically vote for?
A
Labour and Liberal Democrats
17
Q
In 2017, describe voting patterns related to house ownership.
A
Older people who had paid their mortgages more likely to be Conservative.
Younger people who were renting were more likely to vote Labour.
18
Q
What % of 18-24 year olds voted Labour in 2017?
A
62%
19
Q
What % of 18-24 year olds voted Conservative in 2017?
A
27%
20
Q
How many 65+ voted Labour in 2017?
A
25%
21
Q
How many 65+ voted Conservative in 2017?
A
61%
22
Q
In 2017, what was the turnout for 18-24 year olds?
A
54%
23
Q
In 2017, what was the turnout for 65+?
A
71%- this would favour the Conservatives
24
Q
What acts did Labour introduce in relation to ethnicity?
A
Race Relations Acts in 1965, 1968 and 1976.
25
What classes typically were Commonwealth immigrants?
C2, D and E
| More likely to vote Labour
26
Which party has recieved accusations of racism frequently?
Conservatives- e.g Boris Johnsons racists comments
27
In terms of race, what contributed to Labour getting 49/73 seats in Greater London?
Empathy towards immigrant communities.
28
What is the 'least white' constituency in the UK and how many voted for Labour there?
East Ham
| 83.2%
29
How many of the most ethnically diverse constituencies do the Conservatives hold?
5/75
30
In the 2017 election, Labour had how much of the ethnic minority vote?
73% compared to 40% of the national vote.
31
In the 2017 election, the Conservatives had how much of the ethnic minority vote?
16% compared to 42% of the national vote
32
In the 2017 election, the Lib Dems had how much of the ethnic minority vote?
6% compared to 8% of the national vote.
33
Between 1945-1980s what was Labour closely linked to?
Male dominated trade unionism
34
Who in the past did Conservatives appeal to?
Housewives, especially as Labour was associated with rising inflation which had a negative effect on family finances.
35
In 1959, what did Harold Macmillan associated the Conservative party with?
Prosperity and stability with a happy family life.
36
In 1970, who did Edward Heath (Conservative) defeat in the election?
Harold Wilson due to pledging against the rising cost of living.
37
In 1979, who did Margaret Thatcher articulate herself towards?
Women's concerns on inflation.
38
In 1979 how many men and how many women voted for Thatcher?
47% of women voted Conservative
| 43% of men voted Conservative
39
In 2015, how many men and women voted Conservative?
38% of men
| 37% of women
40
In 2015, how many men and women voted Labour?
30% of men
| 33% of women
41
In 2015, how many men and women voted Liberal Democrats?
8% of men
| 8% of women
42
Who has challenged the Conservatives lead with women in recent times?
Labour due to their focus on the NHS and education.
43
In 2017, how many men and women voted Conservative?
44% of men
| 43% of women
44
In 2017, how many men and women voted Labour?
40% of men
| 42% of women
45
In 2017, how many men and women voted Liberal Democrats?
7% of men
| 8% of women
46
In 2017, between 18-24 year olds how many men and women voted Conservative?
18% of women
| 36% of men
47
In 2017, between 18-24 year olds how many men and women voted Labour?
73% of women
| 52% of men
48
What are 4 political factors influencing voting behaviour?
Governing competence
Leadership
The campaign
'Issue/instrumental voting'.
49
What is governing competence?
The extent to which the government is regarded as having been capable.
50
How does governing competence relate to swing voters?
If swing voters are assured that the government is competent, they will be less likely to vote for the opposition and vice versa.
51
Governing competence in 1959.
Economic prosperity and a wider availability of consumer goods contributed to Harold Macmillan increasing the Conservative parliamentary majority to over 100.
52
Governing competence in 1964.
Alec Douglas-Home was unable to separate himself from the scandal and failures of the previous Conservative government. This subsequently led to a Labour win in the next election and people regarded the era as 'thirteen wasted years of Conservative government'.
53
Governing competence in 1966.
Harold Wilson- after 2 years, his Labour government was still focused and industrial unrest was limited.
He called a snap election after facing the new leader of the opposition (Edward Heath) which dramatically increased his parliamentary majority.
54
Governing competence in 1974.
When Edward Heath called the snap election, it was due to a miner's strike which would threaten many other industries. The election to find 'who governs Britain' ended in a lack of support for Heath's government as the public believed they were untrusted in government.
55
Governing competence in 1979.
Due to an escalation in number of strikes in the time of the 'Winter of Discontent', James Callaghan had lost the faith of the general public. This caused swing voters to go towards the Conservatives led by Margaret Thatcher.
56
Governing competence in 1983.
Margaret Thatcher- her government's success in bringing inflation low as well as her leadership during the Falklands War and unity of her cabinet reinforced the government's reputation for strength of purpose.
57
Governing competence in the present.
It has been contriversial in terms of how the government have dealt with COVID-19 and the partygate incident.
58
Does the image of the party leader influence people's perception of the party?
Yes
59
What was Thatcher's leadership image in 1983 compared to Michael Foot?
Thatcher encouraged a lot to vote due to her reputation as a strong and focused leader.
Foot's left-wing intellectualism only appearled to Labour's core vote.
60
How many seats did Labour lose between 2017 and 2019 and how does this relate to Corbyn's disapproval rate?
60 seats and Corbyn had a disapproval rate of 71% compared to Johnson's 52% when polled by YouGov.
61
Why may have Tony Blair won so many seats in 2001?
Labour won 412 seats and this may have been due to his appearance of popularity making the Labour party seem unified- he won the Labour leadership election with a majority.
62
Why may have Labour won in 2001?
John Major had a poor appearance to the public- he and many other members of his government became involved in allegations of sleaze, which made Blair appear better due to contrast.
However, it is difficult to determine whether leadership was the determining factor for people's changing votes.
63
Who won the 1951 general election partially due to their strong public appearance?
Winston Churchill.
64
Why may have the Lib Dems been strong enough to form the coalition in 2010?
Nick Clegg had a positive public image.
| For example he appeared in a debate against Brown and Cameron and a poll of the public showed 51% believed he won.
65
Can party campaigns be significant in determining the result of a general election?
Yes
66
Was Labour's campaign strong or weak in 1983 and why?
The socialist rhetoric of the party's campaign appealed only to its core voters and middle-class swing voters, who instead benefitted from the tax cuts of the Thatcher government.
67
In 1992, did the Conservative campaign help them win?
Yes, Major salvaged the campaign by taking his own soap box to appeal directly to the voters; this provided a contrast to Neil Kinnock's campaign and provided the Copnservatives with an unexpected win.
68
What was Corbyn's 2015 campaign like?
Corbyn campaigned in a traditional fashion, taking the Labour case directly to the people in contrast to May's lack luster and highly controlling campaign.
69
How could a campaign fail?
Even a carefully thought out campaign can fail if the electorate is not persuaded by the manifesto or the leader.
70
Name an example of a strong campaign which lost the election.
In 1987, Peter Mandelson organised Labour's campaign, including an insipring television commercial focusing on Neil Kinnock.
All media critics agreed that it was superior to the Conservatives but Labour was defeated because Thatcher was viewed to be the stronger leader.
71
What is 'instrumental voting' a result of?
Partisan and class dealignment.
72
What is instrumental voting?
Where voters base their votes off a party's manifesto depending on certain issues and the competence of the government.
73
Why do political parties establish focus groups?
Instrumental voting.
| Parties want to establish what issues the public feels most strongly about.
74
Instrumental voting in 1983.
Conservative warnings that a Labour government would reverse the right-to-buy scheme contributed to Thatcher's landslide reelection by encouraging the aspirational working class to vote Conservative to protect their properties.
75
Instrumental voting in 2015.
Immigration was an unexpected core issue for many voters, which contributed to UKIP's remarkable rise and the Conservative adoption of a policy on a referendum to leave the EU.
76
Between 2005 and 2015 how much did UKIP's vote rise by?
9.5%
77
Instrumental voting in 2017.
A core issue which determined the election result was where the leading parties stood on Brexit, while Labour's commitment to abolishing tuition fees gave younger voters a strong incentive to vote Labour.
78
Name an example of an election where instrumental voting wasn't very important.
In 1997, Labour enjoyed an 11% swing among higher class voters even though they were less likely to be affected by the windfall tax on privatized industries, suggesting that the percieved incompetence of Major's government was the factor that mattered more than economic self interest.
79
Name four media factors influencing voting behaviour.
Opinion polls
The press
Television
Social media
80
In 1992, what did most opinion polls suggest?
That support for Labour was growing at the expense of the Conservatives- this may have encouarged higher poll for the Conservatives as wavering voters decided to vote for the government rather than chance a Labour administration under Neil Kinnock.
81
In 2015, what were the opinion polls saying?
That the race between Conservatives and Labour was very close. This scared the Tory voters as the thought of Ed Milliband becoming PM encouraged an increased voter turnout- leading to another suprise victory for the Conservatives.
82
In 2017, what were most opinion polls saying?
Most polls gave the Conservatives a commanding lead over Labour, which may have reducved the urgency with which the Conservatives campaigned.
Some European Conservatives may have voted Labour in protest at Brexit.
83
How do opinion polls influence voting behaviour?
They may encourage wavering voters to vote for the most popular, and it may discourage them from voting for those shown as least likely to win or influence people to vote for the opposition due to a specific policy or leader they dislike about those who are seen as most likely to win.
84
Name two television news stations who are impartial to bias.
BBC and ITV.
85
How did television influence the 2010 General Election?
Nick Clegg got equal coverage as Brown and Cameron, which provided the Lib Dems with a powerful election platform.
Cameron and Brown said 'I agree with Nick', which boosted the Lib Dem campaign which had been badly lagging in the polls.
86
Does the press claim it has a large role in determining election results?
Yes
87
What did The Sun claim in 1992?
They ridicules Neil Kinnock as unfit to be PM and when Major won the election, they boasted 'Its the Sun Wot Won It'.
88
What did The Sun claim in 1997?
They firmly positioned themselves behind Blair and commented on his landslide victory that 'It Was The Sun That Swung It'.
89
Name three newspapers that are Conservative leaning.
Daily Mail
Daily Express
The Sun
90
Name two newspapers that are Labour leaning.
Guardian
| Mirror
91
Between 1997 and 2017 how much did circulation figures for The Sun drop by?
2,210,922.
92
How much did circulation figures for the Daily Telegraph drop by between 1997 and 2017?
657,512.
93
How much did Labour increase their vote by in 2017 and how does this relate to media?
9.6%
| Corbyn was ridiculed by much of the mass-circulated press.
94
What have some argued about the influence of the press on voting behaviour?
That the press doesn't do much to swing voters rather it reinforces people's prior opinions, for example a Conservative voteris more likely to read the Daily Mail because of it's similar opinions.
95
In 2017, how did Labour activists use social media to spread Labour's message?
Twitter hashtags and Whatsapp cascades.
96
Why do most political parties have to engage with social media?
Ideas can spead quicker through social media in comparison to pamphlets through letterboxes and biased newspapers.
97
How have the Conservatives used social media in their campaigns?
Boris Johnson spread the idea of the 'build back better' campaign using TikTok as a new platform for political propaganda.
98
How does social media increase the spreading of ideas?
People can access the internet at home, work or through their mobile phones wherever.
99
Name three elections used for case studies.
1979
1997
2017
100
How did Thatcher target class-based voting in 1979?
She launched a Conservative campaign in Labour-supporting Cardiff- which was an attempt to disassociate the party from being too middle class.
The campaign focused on controlling inflation and confronting trade union power and it was so popular there was an 11% swing to the Tories in C2 voters and a 9% swing by DE voters.
101
Class dealignment in 1979 election.
Class dealignment resulted in Conservative support dramatically increasing across all social classes, with the biggest swing among Labour's C2 voters.
102
What was class based voting like in 1997?
Labour was able to increase its share of the vote in all social categories by presenting themselves as a progressive party.
They still performed the best among C2 (50%) and DE (59%) voters, whilst the Conservatives kept a lead among AB voters (41%).
103
What was class-based voting like in 2017?
Corbyn made dramatic inroads into the AB social categor, whilst May made similar gains amongst DE voters, mainly due to pro-Europeans in higher social classes wanting to punish the Conservatives for Brexit, while large numbers of DE voters felt the Conservatives would be more likely to deliver Brexit and control immigration.
104
How did age influence voting behaviour in the 1979 election?
The Conservatives achieved a 1% lead over Labour among 18-24 year olds, helping Thatcher towards her victory.
This was a significant increase from the 1974 election (24% to 42%) and this was likely due to their focus on trade union power and governing competency which presuaded Labour voters to abandon their traditional loyalties.
105
In the 1997 election, which age groups saw an increase in labour voters?
25-34 year olds (12%)
35-44 year olds (12%)
55-64 year olds (4%)
106
In the 1997 election, which age group saw a large decrease in the Conservative vote?
45-54 year olds (16%).
107
How many people voted Labour in the 1997 election?
44%
108
Nearly how many 18-24 year olds voted Labour in the 1997 election?
50%.
109
How big was the lead Labour had over Conservatives between 65+ voters in 1997?
5% lead.
110
Relate age and housing situation to voting behaviour in the 2017 election.
Older people who had paid off their mortgages were more likely to vote Conservative.
Young people who were renting were more likely to vote Labour.
111
In 2017 how many 18-24 years olds voted Labour and Conservative?
```
L= 62%
C= 27%
```
112
In 2017 how many 25-34 years olds votes Labour and Conservative?
```
L= 56%
C= 37%
```
113
In 2017 how many 35-44 years olds votes Labour and Conservative?
```
L= 49%
C= 33%
```
114
In 2017 how many 45-54 years olds votes Labour and Conservative?
```
L= 40%
C= 43%
```
115
In 2017 how many 55-64 years olds votes Labour and Conservative?
```
L= 34%
C= 51%
```
116
In 2017 how many 65+ years olds votes Labour and Conservative?
```
L= 25%
C= 61%
```
117
Why do the Conservative party benefit from the support of older age groups?
Mainly due to the fact that older people are more likely to show up at polling stations.
118
Why did voter turnout between 18-24 year olds increase in the 2017 election?
Corbyn was youth-focused and that encouarge mroe young epeople to vote in any general election since 1992.
119
In the 1979 election how many Afro-Carribeans and British Asians votes Labour?
```
AC= 90%
BA= 86%
```
120
How many White British voted Labour in the 1979 election?
50%
121
How many ethnic groups other than white voted Labour in the 1979 election?
86%
122
How many ethnic groups other than white voted Conservative in the 1979 election?
8%
123
What did Blair do in 1997 to make Labour seem more welcoming to ethnic minorities?
His campaigns embraced multiculturalism.
124
How many Black-British people voted Labour and how many Conservative in the 1997 election?
```
L= 81%
C= 12%
```
125
How many British-Asian people voted Labour and how many Conservative in the 1997 election?
```
L= 66%
C= 22%
```
126
Why in 1997 was there an increase in ethnic minorities voting for Labour?
Historical attitudes Labour has towards ethnic minorities such as relaxed immigration laws and racial equality encourages people to vote.
127
How many seats in Greater London did Corbyn win in 2017 and how does this relate to ethnicity?
49 out of 73 seats.
| Greater London has a population of just 45% white British.
128
Relate the 2017 result in East Ham to ethnicity.
The non-white population is 77%
Labour recieved 83.2% of the vote.
Conservatives recieved 12.8% of the vote.
129
In the 2017 election, how many of the 75 most ethnically diverse constituencies did the Conservatives win?
5
130
How much of the ethnic minority vote did Labour win nationally in the 2017 election?
73%
131
How much of the ethnic minority vote did Conservatives win nationally in the 2017 election?
19%
132
How much of the ethnic minority vote did Liberal Democrats win nationally in the 2017 election?
6%
133
In 1979, how did education affect the result of the general election?
During the campaign the Conservative party posters focused on Labour's failures rather than right wing policies which educated people on the weaknesses of Labour in getting the basics of economic competence right.
134
How did education affect the result in the 2017 election?
Previouisly, those with higher education qualifications voted Conservative whereas those with fewer qualifications voted Labour.
In 2017, this changed as people with more degrees in higher social bands voted Labour and the Conservatives increased their support with those with fewer qualifications.
This may have been due to Brexit.
135
How did Thatcher reach out to women to get them to vote Conservative in the 1979 election?
She articulated women's concerns that Labour governments had allowed inflation to undermine family finances and that irrisponsible trade unionism was pulling society apart, likely a cause of plurality of females voting Conservative (47%).
136
How many women and men voted Conservative in the 1979 election?
```
W= 47%
M= 43%
```
137
How many women and men voted Labour in the 1979 election?
```
W= 35%
M= 40%
```
138
How many women and men voted Liberal in the 1979 election?
```
W= 15%
M= 13%
```
139
How many females voted Labour and how many voted Conservative in the 1997 election?
```
L= 44%
C= 32%
```
140
Why did an increased amount of women vote Labour in the 1997 election?
An increase of women in the working world, particularly the public sector, rather than running the house.
The gains made with female votes by the Conservatives faded as Thatcher's term went on, as the public needed a new change.
There is also a theory that people voted Labour as they viewed Blair as more attrative than Major.
141
How many women and men voted Conservative in the 2017 election?
```
M= 44%
W= 43%
```
142
How many women and men voted Labour in the 2017 election?
```
M= 40%
W= 42%
```
143
How many women and men voted Lib Dems in the 2017 election?
```
M= 7%
W= 8%
```
144
How did governing competence lead to Thatcher's victory in 1979?
Labour was incompetent in their handling of trade unions and this made them appear inferior to the Conservative's clear vision.
Labour lost a parliamentary vote of confidence after the Winter of Discontent which featured a series of strikes, forcing Callaghan to call a sudden general election.
Callaghan came across as complacent and voters felt he was underestimating the trade unions.
145
How did governing competence lead to Blair's victory in 1997?
Major's government became associated with incompetence, disunity and corruption.
When they abandoned the ERM on Black Wednesday causing a dramatic rise in interest rates demonstrated a loss of economic competence.
Many ministers resigned due to allegations of sleaze which further damaged their reputation.
Blair made use of all of this to provide a fresh, exciting contrast with his youthful energy driving forwards the modernisation of the Labour party.
146
How did governing competence lead to May's victory in 2017?
May expected to be re-elected because she would be able to contrast the competence of her government with a 'coaltion of chaos' led by Corbyn.
147
How did instrumental voting influence the result of the 1979 election?
The issue of excessive trade union pay claims heavily influenced the Conservative campaign and voters' perspective of the Labour party, swaying the population in favour of Conservatives due to this single issue.
148
How did instrumental voting influence the result of the 1997 election?
Labour had an 11% swing among higher class voters even though they were more likely to be affected by windfall tax on privatized industries, suggesting that percieved incompetence of Major's government was the factor that mattered more than economic self interest.
149
How did instrumental voting influence the result of the 2017 election?
A core issue which determined the election result was where the leading parties stood on Brexit, while Labour's commitment to abolishing tuiton fees gave younger voters a strong incentive to vote Labour.
150
How did leadership influence the result of the 1979 election?
Callaghan lost a vote of confidence in March 1979 which caused him to immediately call a general election.
He appeared 'outdated' and out of touch and this could be shown by his refusal to accept that there was a crisis (Winter of discontent) on his return from a Commonwealth summit in Guadeloupe in January 1979.
Thatcher had a fresh approach which was increasingly appealing.
The Liberal Party's leader at the time (Jeremy Thorpe) was soon to be on trial for murder whilst still standing for election and this damaged the Liberal's fortunes.
151
How did leadership influence the result of the 1997 election?
Blair's press secretary, Alistair Campbell, ran a tightly disciplined campaign which showcased Blair as a youthful and energetic leader whose policies were in sharp contrast to Major's weak reputation.
This was what the electorate wanted.
152
How did leadership influence the result of the 2017 election?
By 2017, May had been a key figure in Conservative cabinets and was presented as a strong leader, with comparisons naturally made to Thatcher.
She became the new Conservative leader unopposed and just before the start of the 2017 campaign had the highest ever net satisfaction rating for any PM.
153
How did the campaign influence the result of the 1979 election?
```
Conservatives focused on Labour' record in power and particularly their inability to control excessive trade union pay claims.
The Conservatives emphasised that they were a party of national unity with common sense and practical solutions to the growing power of trade unions.
The Liberal Party propped up Callaghan in the Lib-Lab Pact, losing some of its traditional middle-class support.
```
154
How did the campaign influence the result of the 1997 election?
Labour campaigned on a 'pledge card' which gave coherence to its campaign and was a way of persuading voters that Labour could be trusted.
An example of a pledge would be to cut NHS waiting lists.
155
How did the campaign influence the result of the 2017 election?
Whilst Labour had what appeared to be a better campaign they failed to win.
The Conservative campaign was based on the assumption that Corbyn was 'unelectable' resulting in a lack-luster manifesto.
Labour's manifesto was well recieved especially with increased spending on police, abolishing tuition fees and the pledge to not raise taxes for 95% of the population.
Labour's election team took Corbyn directly to the people so he purposely engaged with younger voters.
Meanwhile the focus of the Conservative campaign was on making May look powerful, this backfired however with her emotionless speeches and surrounding herself in Conservative supporter invitation only rallies.
156
What is the influence of opinion polls on the 1979 election?
The Conservatives narrowly lead in the opinion polls as the election neared, which may have boosted the Conservative victory by encouraging supporters to vote.
157
What is the influence of opinion polls in the 1997 election?
Labour was projected confidently as the winner across almost all opinion polls- meaning they may not have had much influence.
158
What is the influence of opinion polls in the 2017 election?
The polls predicted the election results to be close which may have encouraged Conservative supporters to vote, increasing the turnout.
However the turnout wasn't much higher than estimated.
159
What is the influence of the press in the 1979 election?
The press positively covered the Conservative campaign, reinforcing that Thatcher was a fresh approach.
This could have increased the Conservative vote in numerous social groups who traditionally vote Labour.
160
What is the influence of the press in the 1997 election?
Labour was in the unusual position of having The Sun supporting them, which in 1997 had a circulation of around 4 million.
The Sun only switched to supporting Labour once they had a commanding lead in the polls.
161
What is the influence of the press in the 2017 election?
Most newspapers were positive about May but negative about Corbyn.
The Daily Mail had included 13 pages of personal attack on Corbyn in just one edition.
84% of the election press was about Tory or Labour MPs suggesting a two party system.
162
What is the influence of social media in the 2017 election?
Labour activists used Facebook, Twitter, hashtags and Whatsapp to campaign.
However engagement is not indicative of electoral success, as Labour usually has high engagement but haven't won any elections.
163
What is the influence of television in the 1979 election?
David Dimbley took centre stage for his 1979 election broadcast.
He proved to be highly skilled, moving from many outside broadcasts to serious studio discussions.
The BBCs coverage of the 1979 election is sometimes argued to have swept Thatcher's party into power.
164
What is the influence of television in the 1997 election?
Blair came across as calm on TV and an example of this would be in his 'People's Princess' tribute on the morning of Diana's death in 1997.
Not much influence before the election however.
