Voting Behaviour and the Media

Question 1

Class dealignment

Answer 1

A process in which members of a social class no longer vote for the party that their class is aligned with

CLASS ALIGNMENT
- was highest during the 1950s, but has changed ever since
- biggest change was in 1997 (Conservatives voted Labour)

Question 2

Partisan dealignment

Answer 2

A process whereby individuals become less partisan in terms of their support for a particular political party

The UK experiences class dealignment because people taking more short-term factor into account (either Brexit or not), rather than emotional connections to a political party.

Question 3

Governing competency

Answer 3

The perceived ability of the governing party in office to manage the affairs of state effectively.
It also applies to how voters regard the potential competency of an opposition party, if it were to win office.

Question 4

Disillusion and apathy

Answer 4

It refers to the extent to which individuals increasingly become disengaged with politics. Disillusion and apathy might be measured in several ways, such as low turnout in elections, or declining membership of political parties.

Question 5

Manifesto

Answer 5

A public declaration of policy and aims

Question 6

Mandate

Answer 6

The authority to carry out a policy, regarded as given by the electorate to a party or candidate that wins an election

Question 7

Name factors that explain the outcome of elections

Answer 7

• policies and manifestos
• techniques used in the party´s campaign
• the wider political context of the elections
• class-based voting
• voting attachment
• partisanship
• gender
• age
• ethnicity
• region

Question 8

Explain why the media can be seen as influential on politics

Answer 8

Press
- The conservatives are favoured by the UK media
- The press was accused of trivialising and polarising political debate

Broadcast media
- Magnetic attention at times of national crisis

Social media
- Everyone can create an account (it ensures political participation and debate)
- It can easily be used to produce hate-speech and target minorities
- Minority parties can gain platform (attention)

Question 9

Explain why the media cannot be seen as influential on politics

Answer 9

Press
- a decline in readership (however, new forms of communication = social media)
- people only mostly consume media that matches with their views
- the media is just a picture of the population´s views

Broadcast media
- All broadcasts are required by law to prove politically neutral coverage

Social media
- it mostly appeals younger people and is therefore less influential on the whole population

Question 10

Why could opinion polls be seen as important and influential?

Answer 10

• feedback mechanism which could affect parties´ policy choices and campaigns
• they have to be transparent and accurate (this was criticised in recent years)
• they need to use a representative sample of the population
• “Bandwagon effect” = people vote for the party they think is going to win
• “Boomerang effect” = People might evaluate parties differently depending on how the polls are

Question 11

Is the media biased?

Answer 11

Left wing newspapers: The Guardian, The Mirror

Right wing newspapers: The Daily Mail, The Sun

Question 12

What influence has the region on voting behaviour?

Answer 12

• London and other major urban areas: Labour
• South and East England: Conservative
• South-West England: Conservative/Lib Dem
• North England: Labour
• Scotland: Labour until 2015; SNP since 2015

Question 13

What influence has the age on voting behaviour?

Answer 13

• The younger your are the more likely your are to vote Labour, and the older your are, the more likely you are to vote Conservative.
• Turning age 39
• Age as a determining factor has increased its influence
  1979 = no real influence
  2019 = determining factor

Question 14

What influence has the gender on voting behaviour?

Answer 14

• Women tended to vote Conservative more often in the elections of 1979 and 1997, but with only a difference rarely reaching above 5%.
• In the 2019 election, men were more likely to vote Conservative, so a reversal in gender-based voting has occurred (even if it is just a minor change)
• In 1979 men voted 5% more often for Labour
• In 2019 women voted 5% more often for Labour

Question 15

What influence has the ethnicity on voting behaviour?

Answer 15

Labour tend to perform well electorally with BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnicity) voters, while the Conservatives perform strongly with white voters.

For example, in the 2019 general election, 56% of BAME voters intended to vote for Labour, while only 23% are likely to support the Conservatives.

Question 16

Name long-term effects effecting voting behaviour

Answer 16

• Class alignment
• Partisan alignment
• Region
• Age
• Gender
• Ethnicity

Question 17

Name short-term effects effecting voting behaviour

Answer 17

Rational choice theory
- people vote based on which candidate or party will provide the best benefit for them

Valence
- This is the idea that people trust parties and candidates that they will deliver on issues the voters care about

Issue salience
- in some elections, certain issues are more important than others (Brexit, migration, economy)

Leadership
- a charismatic leader who can unite the party is more successful
For example, Ed Miliband drove people away from Labour but Boris Johnson was a fresh and charismatic leader

Governing competency
- how effectively the government performed in previous once
- Several factors: economic management, control of events, policy and party unity