Voting behaviour and the media

• Voting behaviour is determined by: image of parties, past performance of parties, changing perceptions of parties and their leaders, how the public judge the incumbent government, and the media.
• Short-term influences: performance of governing party, major issues, electoral campaigns, influence of mass media, and major political events.
• Long-term influences: class, gender, race, culture, religion, age, education.
• AB voters are those who have highly qualified, and often high earning, jobs. They make up around 20% of the population. Examples: banker, doctor, lawyer.
• C1 and C2 voters have skilled and qualified jobs. They make up 30% of the population. Examples: teacher, office manager.
• DE voters are unemployed or have lower skilled jobs. They make up around 25% of the population. Examples: labourers, bar staff.
• Before the 1960s, voting behaviour could be accurately predicted by looking at social class. However nowadays, this is not the case as other factors are more important.
• Deviant voters are those who do not vote in the way their class might.
• Floating voters use their vote unpredictably.
• Class dealignment - the decline of class divisions in society, with voters no longer voting in the way that is expected of their social class.
• Partisanship is where people feel a strong attachment and permanent attachment to one party, meaning they will always support them at elections.
• Partisan dealignment is where voters no longer feel attached to a particular party and change their party allegiance each election.
• Parties nowadays have tended to move towards the centre of the political spectrum which can attract a wider range of voter support.
• Why has class-based voting declined?

  • Parties policies are more centrist
  • Class dealignment
  • Partisan dealignment
• Age is the biggest dividing line in British politics with Labour still winning a majority of younger voters, and the Conservatives miles ahead among older Britons.
• Since WW2 ended, gender can no longer be considered a determining voting factor. They vote very similarly, though men are more likely to vote Conservative.