Voting behaviours Flashcards
(125 cards)
1
Q
What are long term influences on voting
A
social class, gender, race, religion, age, education and long term political alignment
2
Q
What are short term influences on voting behaviour
A
performance of party in gov, major issues, electoral campaign, party leaders images, mass media influence, major political events
3
Q
When was the first mass male electorate developed
A
19th century
4
Q
When was the addition of women being able to vote
A
20th century
5
Q
What year was the secret ballot introduced
A
1872
6
Q
When did 18 year olds get the vote
A
1969
7
Q
When did 16 year olds vote for the first time in the UK
A
2014
8
Q
What are the three main competing models
A
Party identification, sociological and individual voting
9
Q
Describe party identification and what it is linked to
A
Voting behaviour is the result of political socialisation, which leads to political loyalty to a party.
Linked to partisan alignment- although partisan dealignment is steadily rising
10
Q
Describe sociological factors and what they are linked to
A
Voting behaviour is associated with sociological factors traditionally class but gender, age, ethnicity, education and religion have all been prominent in the last elections.
Linked to class alignment although in recent decades there has been a decline in this leading to class dealignment
11
Q
Describe individual voting
A
the result of individuals making decisions based on available choices.
May vote rationally
Party managers understand the importance of campaigning
12
Q
Describe individual voting
A
the result of individuals making decisions based on available choices.
May vote rationally
Party managers understand the importance of campaigning
13
Q
List some factors voting may be based on (5)
A
Issues economic competence governing competence party leaders party campaign
14
Q
Define partisan alignment
A
Voters that have a long term stable attachment to one of the main parties developed through socialisation
15
Q
Evidence for partisan alignment
A
1964
90% of voters identified with a party
44% had a strong identification
16
Q
Define partisan dealignment
A
Decline in the number of voters that identify with a party- no longer feel a sense of loyalty
17
Q
Evidence for partisan dealignment
A
2005- 13% had a strong identification
2010- 65.1% voted for the two main parties
18
Q
Name 3 reasons for partisan dealignment
A
Disillusionment with the main parties
More voter choice– more choices
Less difference between the main two parties
19
Q
What happened in the 2019 election (PD)
A
Partisan dealignment Lab voters –> Con
Lab ‘red wall’ fell
Blythe valley hadn’t voted con since 1950s
Bassetlaw hadn’t voted con since 1924
20
Q
What is social class
A
The way in which people are classified on the basis of their occupations and to some extent their income and class can be used to explain various forms of behaviour
21
Q
What is AB, and what % of the populations is AB
A
Higher managerial and professionals
- 22.17%
22
Q
C1
How much of the population are C1
A
Managerial, administrative or professionals
30.84%
23
Q
C2
How much of the population is C2
A
Skilled manual occupations
20.94%
24
Q
D E
what percentage of the population is D E
A
semi and unskilled manual occupations
26.05%
25
In the 1964 election what % of voters did Harold Wilson and Alec Douglas- Hume have
HW- 64% D E
| ADH- 78% AB
26
Define class alignment
```
Commitment of a particular social class to a political party.
Strongly linked with party loyalty
```
27
What did Pultzer suggest about class
'Class is the basis of British party politics; all else is embellishment and detail'
28
In 1964 there was the highest evidence for what?
Class and voting correlation
DE- 64% Lab
AB- 78% Con
29
In the 2010 election there was evidence for what
a decline in class and voting correlation
DE- 40% Lab
AB- 40%Con
30
In 2017 there was an increase in
DE voting Lab (59%)
| Slight decrease in AB voting
31
2019 there was a weak correlation of
```
class and voting correlation
Lab DE-39% and AB-45% con
```
32
Define class dealignment
suggests that voters are less likely to voter according to their membership of a particular class,
Linked to partisan dealignment
33
In 1979 what did Thatcher do to try and make the Conservatives seem less middle class
Launched campaign in Cardiff
11% C2 swing
9% DE swing
34
What did Blair do in 1997 do to get Lab voters make Lab appeal beyond the core voter
Working class saw Lab as progressive party
35
What happened in 2017 that show evidence of CD
TM- gained DE brexit supporters
| Corbyn gets AB pro euro voters
36
What was significant about the 2019 class votes
```
Absence of class distinctions
Low C2 DE turnout
Lib Dem- AB C1
Brexit/Ukip- DE
Alienation of traditional Lab voters
Green was consistent
```
37
What policies have encouraged people to see themselves as middle class
1979- right to buy council house
Buying shares via the privatisation of companies
Foreign holidays
Private services
38
What are the work place divisions
Public sector- Lab
| Private- Con
39
What has changed in political parties
Range of parties when focusing on important issues
1997-2010- New Lab- catch all party- gains across all social groups
2019- Campaigning in Lab heartlands
40
What is the influence of other factors
Valence issues
| Voting for other parties
41
Describe the class viewpoints on Brexit
AB- strong remain
C1- remain
C2- strong leave
DE-leave
42
What is the decline in traditional working class
De industrialisation
Fallen manual labour
New working class- women and part timer workers
50% of workers are in service industry
43
What is the north south divide
The division between the north and south of England socially, economically and politically
Southern bias
North- higher unemployment, poverty and ill health
44
Conservatives- region
SE support
| Ethically rural places- white voters
45
Labour region
```
Ethnically diverse cities support
working class
industry
London
```
46
Lib Dems regions
N Scotland, rural wales, SW
| Small and spread out voters
47
2017 election- parties and regions
Lab- London, North, Wales
Con- South, Midlands
Lib Dem- South and London
SNP- scotland
48
What is the patterns in cities, small towns and rural areas and the way that they vote
Lab- cities
Con- rural
Small towns- Con
49
Young voters
Low turnout
| Labour
50
Evidence for Young people leaning towards voting Lab
```
Con: Lab votes (%)
1979- 42:41
1997- 27:49
2017- 18:67
2019- 21:56
```
51
Why are young people more inclined to vote Lab
```
Social media campaigns
Progressive
Remain
Policies favour students
Nationalisation
Peer pressure
Social justice
Environment
Idealistic
```
52
Older voters
Con
| Higher turnout
53
Evidence for older votes favouring Con
```
Lab: Con (%)
1997- 41:36
2015- 23:47
2017- 23:59
2019- 22:57
```
54
Why do older voters vote Con
```
Low taxation
Strong defence
Strong law and order
Con- Euro sceptic
Own their own property
Stabilty> change that Lab offers
```
55
What Lab policies appealed to young voters in 2017 and 2019
Environmental policies
Free tuition fees
EMA reinstated
Free broadband
56
What policies did May include in her manifesto that angered elderly voters
Remove triple lock
| Dementia tax
57
What is the pattern between education and voting
2017- Con increased their support among those with fewest educational qualifications
Lab- highest amount of support amongst those in HE
Con- appeal to white working class
Lab- Liberal approach to immigration
Con-nationalism
Con- globalisation
58
Ethnicity in voting
more likely to vote Labour
59
Why do ethnic minorities vote Lab
```
High wealth fare spending
Trade union association
Multiculturalism commitment
Lab- 1976 Race relations act
Con- hostile to immigrant communities
```
60
2005- evidence of issue voting
Iraq War
| Lab lost ground with the Muslim population
61
2010- evidence of Lab regaining the ethnic minority support
68% voted Lab
62
2015 election BAME MPs
Con- BAME MPs in safe seat constituencies
| Lab- elected in high BAME voter constituencies
63
Why did women used to be more likely to vote Con
Worked in low paid office jobs/ didn't work
| Were not unionised
64
2017 election- gender
CON- 18% women vs 36% men
| LAB- 73% women vs 52% men
65
2019 election- gender
2019- women > men for lab (all ages)
| 18-24 year olds 65:46 % (W:M)
66
How have the parties appealed to women
1997- Blair- all women shortlists
2010- Cameron- encouraged an increase in female Con candidates
2015- Lab women to women buses targeted women that hadn't voted
2000- free nursery
67
How have the changes to a women's societal roles impacted their voting
1970/80- Housewives- Thatcher emphasised her housewife skills
1980- more women entered the workplace and took jobs in Lab areas
68
Difference in valent issues for men and women
Women- education and healthcare
| Men- defence and security
69
Turnout and age
The older you are the more likely you are to vote
70
Why is turnout low among young voters
Disillusion with conventional politics
Alternative political participation
Single issues> ideologies
Abstention
71
In between the years 1992-2015 how much did turnout in young people fall by
19%
72
what was turnout like in 2005 (Iraq war)
37%
73
What was the 'youthquake' in 2017
there was a surge in youth votes by 11% due to anger caused by Brexit
74
What was the impact of young voters in 2017
Increase of youth vote
Labour's share of the national vote increased by 10%
This prevented a majority in parliament
75
Briefly describe tactical voting
Due to wasted votes
People abandon their party which they believe wont win
Vote for a main party that has a chance of winning
76
Define valence
When voters make their decision based on the party/ candidate they think is most likely to run the country effectively (governing competence) and the economy (economic competence)
77
What are the four factors valence voters may look at when choosing who to vote for?
Party reputation
Perception of governing competence
Perception of economic competence
Potential of the party leaders to become PM
78
How do the main parties encourage valence voting
Differences between the policy positions of the parties has narrowed down and without a clear choice voters might instead rely on other factors
79
How did labour encourage valence voting in 2017
lack of clarity on Brexit
80
Define governing competence
The perceived ability of the governing party in office to manage the affairs of the state well and effectively. If the view is that they've failed encourages public to vote for change
81
James Callaghan losing his reputation of governing competence (1979)
Inability to tackle the power of the trade unions led to strikes which led to the 'winter of discontent'
82
Neil Kinnock losing his governing competence (1992)
Bad reputation as the leader of Labour party
83
John Major losing his governing competence (1997)
Conservative party damaged by the economic recession, a range of scandals and internal divisions over the EU
84
Gordon Brown losing his governing competence (2010)
Labour's reputation of economic competence was suffered due to the economic crash was led by the unpopular Gordon Brown
85
What is economic voting
Where voters see the economy as the most important issue and make their decision based on the party they believe is most economically competent at leading government
86
What does salient mean
Important
| In politics something is salient if its important to a group of voters and influences the way that they vote
87
2010 banking crisis
negative impact on Lab
Austerity scares many voters
No party convinced voters of their economic competence
88
2019 economy
Brexit meant uncertain economy
Lab had a radical manifesto
Shift in economic policies
89
Rational voting choice
Non committed voters make a rational choice.
| Voters treat politicians the same way as consumers goods
90
What is expressive voting
Voter gets the satisfaction if they voter for a party that will benefit society as a whole
91
What is instrumental voting
voters vote to benefit themselves
92
Salient issues in elections (1997- 2019)
```
1997- public services
2005- Iraq war
2010- financial crisis
2015- Nhs and immigration
2017- NHS
2019- Brexit
```
93
Factors affecting voting choice
```
Leaders competence to be PM
How parties preform in office
Reputation
Tactical voting
Policies in manifesto
Valent/ salient issues
```
94
Party leaders
Image of party leaders
More presidential system
Voters use party leaders as a short cut for choosing their party
Past- 'Vote conservative' Present- 'I voted Boris Johnson'
95
Important leadership qualities
```
Honesty
Decisiveness
Communication skills
Vision
Strong leadership
Record in office
Sincerity and compassionate
```
96
Factors that linked to Margret Thatcher being known as a successful party leader
```
Radical solutions
Focused on Lab failures
Presented herself as a house wife
Strong and focused leadership
High unemployment levels
```
97
Factors that linked to Tony Blair being known as a successful party leader
Self confidence
Charismatic
Won over the murdoch press
Modern
98
Factors that linked to David Cameron being known as a successful party leader
Media savvy
Focused on Labour's economic failure
No parliamentary majority
Heir to Blair
99
Factors that linked to Michael Foot being known as an unsuccessful party leader
Left wing intellectual
No appeal beyond Lab core vote
Brilliant speaker
Looked to old
100
Factors that linked to Gordon Brown being known as an unsuccessful party leader
Ex chancellor
Grumpy
Bully
101
Define mandate
Winning party can claim the authority to implement its manifesto promises and the ability to act if new issues arise
102
The doctrine of the mandate depends on
electors being confident that they understand the policies they are giving their consent to when they vote
mandate allows parliament to hold the gov to account based on their manifesto
electors can judge the performance of the gov and their mp against their mandate at the next election
103
Sometimes the mandate can have problems because...
coalition and minority gov can make the mandate less clear
voters may not like all the policies in a manifesto
circumstances may change after the party takes power and they may abandon their manifesto commitments
some manifesto commitments are vague and open to commitment
104
Do campaigns influence the results of elections?
| YES
Some campaigns may reinforce existing attitudes but other campaigns may challenge them
E.g. with the growth of partisan dealignment campaigns do matter
105
Do campaigns influence the results of elections?
YES
2010 election
Strong lib dem campaign
Clegg had an impressive performance
Increased Lib dem support at the expense of conservatives which led to a coalition government
106
Do campaigns influence the results of elections?
YES
2017 election
Corbyn- optimistic campaign and manifesto
May- uninspiring and unpopular manifesto
Lab support went from 30% to 40%
107
Do campaigns influence the results of elections?
| NO
Some political commentators say the influence of the campaign can be exaggerated and that voters have already made up their mind
108
Do campaigns influence the results of elections?
NO
1950/60s
class allegiance meant campaigns made little difference in swaying the voters
109
Do campaigns influence the results of elections?
NO
1987
lab- ran a dynamic, praised campaign showing leadership competence
con- won with 102 seat majority
110
Do campaigns influence the results of elections?
NO
1997
John Major decided on a long campaign in the hope that he could reduce Blair's huge lead
Blair was far ahead
111
Do campaigns influence the results of elections?
NO
2017
Con- poor campaign yet increased vote share from 36.9% to 42.4%
112
What are the 4 main types of media
TV
Newspapers
Print
Online media
113
Traditionally the role of the media was to...
```
Report political events accurately
Educate the public
Provide commentary on political events
Scrutinise the gov
Provide a forum for debate
Act as a bridge between the elected and the electoral
```
114
How has the media changed
```
24 hour news
sensationalised events
focus on personality
created a national mood of cynicism
online media
```
115
Tv debates (2010-2019
2010- first ever- Clegg had equal coverage- Lib dem benefited
2015- 7 party leader debate- no clear winner
2017- May decides against debate- allowed other parties to attack her
2019- Johnson v Corbyn
116
Thatcher and the media
```
Understood media power
Softened her voice
Bolder outfits
Sympathetic programmes
Memorable sound bites
```
117
Blair and the media
Favourable news stories
calm and reassuring
statement like
118
Johnson and the media
tries to be relatable/comedic
effective phrases
struggles when challenged
119
media and the 1992 election
attacked neil kinnock to undermine his credibility to be PM
120
media and the 1997 election
Blair had connection with Murdoch
121
Does the press impact voters?
| YES
Correlation between readers and the paper they read
Sun always back the winning parties
Growth in online readership
122
Does the press impact voters?
| NO
Declining readership
Read what they already support
Reading doesn't equal their own political views
123
What are opinion polls
A view taken at a point in time to predict what the actual vote will be in the election
124
Do voting polls influence voting?
| Yes
Bandwagon effect- support the winner
Influences campaigning methods
Helps swing voters to decide what to do
125
Do voting polls affect voting?
| NO
Most people have made up their mind by the time they're aware of the polls
Inaccurate
Overestimate Lab underestimate Con
