Voting Behaviour

• Social class


  How we divide up society according to a person's occupation, though not income
• Classes

  • Class AB
  • Class C1
  • Class C2
  • Class DE
• Class AB

  Higher managerial, company director, higher professional such as lawyers
• Class C1

  Supervisors, clerical workers, junior managers, lower professional such as nurses
• Class C2


  Skilled manual occupations
• Class DE

  Unskilled manual workers, basic catering, unemployed
• The link between people's social class and the party they are most likely to support has declined
• It used to be the case that the vast majority of class AB voted Conservative and the majority of class DE voted Labour
• Reasons why class-based voting has declined

  • Class dealignment
  • Parties moving towards the centre of the political spectrum
  • Other factors becoming important, most notably age
• Class dealignment


  A diminishing proportion of the population consider themselves a member of a specific class
• Partisan dealignment


  A widespread tendency for people to feel a weaker attachment to a particular party
• Voting behaviour and the media
• Gender plays a limited role in explaining voting behaviour
• There is a strong correlation between the age of voters and the way they typically vote
• Factors affecting voting

  • Gender
  • Age
  • Ethnicity
  • Region
  • Class
• Partisanship


  An intense attachment and loyalty to a particular party
• Voting behaviour


  The way in which different social factors influence how people vote
• The 2019 general election was slightly unusual in that a number of traditional Labour seats in industrial northern areas voted Conservative on the basis of Brexit
• Labour still dominated in urban cities, while the SNP reaffirmed its position as the dominant party in Scotland
• The south of England is heavily dominated by the Conservative Party
• The north of England is dominated by Labour
• Scotland is heavily dominated by the SNP
• London is different from the rest of the south of England in that Labour has more support there
• Typical qualities that voters like to support in party leaders


  • Record in office
  • Compassion
  • Decisiveness
  • Strong leadership
  • Clear vision
  • Communication skills
  • Populist appeal
• Examples of negative qualities perceived by voters

  • Perceived weakness
  • Weak and indecisive
  • Untrustworthy
  • Poor media performance
  • No clear vision
• Manifestos are critical to an understanding of how parties try to persuade voters to vote for them
• If a party wins the election, it has a mandate to carry out its manifesto promises
• Successful manifesto pledges

  • Conservative plan to introduce a 'right to buy' scheme on council homes
  • Commitment to introduce devolution to Wales and Scotland
  • Conservative pledge to reduce the deficit
  • Conservative pledge to hold an in-out EU referendum
• Unsuccessful manifesto pledges

  • Labour commitment to defeat world poverty
  • Conservative pledges to support traditional families through tax allowances and benefits
  • Labour pledge that failing police forces will be taken over by successful ones
  • Labour pledge to reduce university tuition fees to £6,000 per year
• A manifesto can swing voters towards a party, but if done badly, it may alienate voters.
• Successful manifesto pledges

  • Conservative plan to introduce a 'right to buy' scheme on council homes
  • Commitment to introduce devolution to Wales and Scotland
  • Conservative pledge to reduce the deficit
  • Conservative pledge to hold an in-out EU referendum
• Unsuccessful manifesto pledges

  • Labour commitment to defeat world poverty
  • Conservative pledges to support traditional families through tax allowances and benefits
  • Labour pledge that failing police forces will be taken over by successful ones
  • Labour pledge to reduce university tuition fees to £6,000 per year
  • Labour commitment to increase police numbers
  • Conservative pledge to use people's homes to fund social care (the so-called 'dementia tax')
  • Conservative promise to get Brexit done
  • Labour commitment to the nationalisation of key industries
• Manifesto


  A document that sets out a party's policies at the time of a general election
• Mandate


  If a party wins the election and takes power, it has a mandate or authority to carry out all its manifesto commitments
• Campaigning techniques

  1. Party political broadcasts on mainstream TV

  2. Leafleting

  3. Targeted advertising via social media platforms

  4. Holding meetings and rallies

  5. Televised leaders' debates

  6. Campaign adverts on advertising boards

  7. Get out the vote activities

  8. Daily press briefings to promote the party

  9. Constituency visits by the 'big beasts' of the party

  10. Targeting key marginal seats

  11. Negative campaigning

  12. Political stunts to gain press attention
• The wider political context can be key in elections.
• Key examples of wider political context

  • The failure of Parliament to deal with Brexit before the 2019 election
  • The terror attacks in the run-up to the 2017 election
  • Hostility towards the Liberal Democrats in 2015
  • The financial crisis of 2008
  • The War on Terror in 2005
  • The financial crash of 1992
  • The economic strife and 'Winter of Discontent' in 1979
• Negative aspects in the wider political context

  Tend to damage the party of government and benefit the party of opposition
• Young voters turn out in smaller numbers than older voters.
• The over 65s turn out to vote in much larger numbers than other age groups.