Voting Behaviour

• When analysing voting behaviour, a range of factors are considered including long-term factors like social class and short-term factors like issue voting
• In the past, social class was considered one of the most important factors influencing voting behaviour, but this has changed over time
• Younger voters are now more influenced by factors like social media compared to older voters
• Social class


  • Traditionally, higher social classes (A, B, C1, C2) more likely to vote Conservative, lower classes (D, E) more likely to vote Labour
  • However, this relationship has weakened in recent years
• 2019 General Election


  • 47% of class D and E voters chose Labour
  • Labour lost votes in Scotland to the SNP, who won 56 of 59 seats
• There is a clear North-South divide in voting patterns in England, with Labour support in the North and Conservative support in the South
• Due to fewer people in manual jobs, most people are now considered middle class, leading to party dealignment as people have less common values with a specific party
• 2019 General Election


  • 43% of ABC1 voted Conservative, 33% voted Labour
  • 47% of class DE voted Conservative, 34% voted Labour
• Issue voting, where voters choose a party based on their position on a specific issue, can be very influential
• 2017 and 2019 General Elections


  • 31% of Labour voters who defected to Conservatives cited Labour's position on Brexit as the reason
• Social media


  • Allows political parties to target voters directly with tailored messages
  • However, online engagement does not always translate to votes, especially for younger voters who can't vote
• Age is a significant factor, with older voters more likely to vote Conservative and younger voters more likely to vote Labour
• Younger voters tend to be more left-wing and influenced by single issues like climate change
• Older voters are more likely to get their political information from traditional media like TV and newspapers
• Broadcast media


  • Must remain neutral and unbiased by law, so can provide balanced information to help voters make informed decisions
  • However, evidence suggests TV debates don't significantly change voting intentions
• Print media


  • Allowed to be biased, so can directly tell voters who to support
  • But voters are more likely to buy newspapers that align with their existing views
• Newspaper readership has declined, reducing their influence, but they still reach the older voters who are more likely to vote
• Party leader image


  • Personal characteristics like charisma, likability and perceived competence can influence voting behaviour
  • A negative perception of a leader can have a significant impact, as seen with Jeremy Corbyn
• All factors influencing voting behaviour are interconnected, so must be considered collectively rather than individually
• Parties need to adapt to changing media consumption patterns, especially to engage younger voters who are more influenced by social media