Voting Behaviour and the Media Flashcards
(30 cards)
Long term factors affecting voting behaviour (main)
Social class, age, gender, ethnicity, region and party loyalty
Main short term factors affecting voting behaviour
Party leadership, policies, campaign performance, media coverage, recent events
Social class affects voting how
Historically working class (C2DE) voted labour, middle class (ABC1) voted Conservative
Now there’s class dealignment so this has weakened
Recent evidence of class dealignment
2019 General Election - Many working-class voters in the “Red Wall” voted Conservative due to Brexit and Labour leadership issues
What has replaced class as a major factor in recent elections
Education and Cultural values - voters with lower qualifications more likely vote Conservative post-Brexit
Age and Voting
Older likely to vote Conservative
Younger likely to vote Labour
Examples of age differences in voting
67% of 70+ voted Conservative
56% of under 30s voted Labour
Why Younger lean left
Support for climate action, social justice, tuition fee abolition, more open to immigration
Why does region influence voting
South England - Conservative
Urban Areas - Labour
Scotland - SNP
Wales - Labour stronghold
NI - Sinn Fein, DUP under STV
Regional trend?
SNP dominance in Scotland, though challenged by Starmer’s Labour in 2024 local elections 11
Gender a major factor?
Not strongly, slight female lean left but gap is small
Ethnicity affects voting?
Minorities overwhelmingly Labour (around 70%) although support slowly diversifying
Labour’s Ethnic minority support?
East London and Birmingham strong Labour due to diverse pop
Party leadership influence voting
Leadership image strongly affects short-term voting - charisma, competence, trust
Leadership impact example?
2019 - Boris Johnson’s clear Brexit message vs Corbyn’s unpopularity
2024 - Keir Starmer’s “safe pair of hands” image Labour gains
How can party unity or division affect image
Division damages electability (Corbyn’s Labour, Conservative splits on immigration/Brexit)
Election campaigns matter?
Yes, especially when races are tight, or a leader performs very well or poorly
Example of Campaign impact
2024 London Mayoral Election - Sadiq Khan retained position partly due to effective campaign around crime and transport vs Weak Tory challenger
What are valence issues?
Issues where there is general agreement and voters judge who is more competent to deliver (NHS funding)
Traditional media impact voting?
Newspapers, TV debates shape party image and reinforce partisan leanings
Recent Newspaper influence
Sun and Daily Mail continued support for Conservatives in 2019 and 2024, though print influence is declining
Role of TV debate
Can shift opinions short-term, 2010 Clegg surge, less influential recently but still important for visibility
Social media changed voting behaviour?
Allows micro-targeting, viral campaigns, direct voter engagement, especially affects younger voters
Digital influence examples
2019 Labour’s Facebook/Instagram campaigns targeted youth with memes and NHS messages (Conservatives used Google ads for Brexit messaging)
