Voting and the Media – Notes
How do different regions of the UK vote
The Conservatives have continued to do well in areas that are predominantly white, rural, or
suburban and socially conservative
Since 2005, Labour Party support has contracted to industrial urban areas in South Wales, the
industrial North and London
Urban areas are now increasingly Labour
Scottish voters have very different concerns and priorities from the rest of the UK
Labour has lost its dominance in Scotland
In South East England, traditional party politics is becoming far more divided, with votes for UKIP
and the Green Party
How do class, gender age and ethnicity affect voting
Class
Traditionally, British society was divided into 3 classes based on wealth and how much money
was earned
- Upper class: landowners
- Middle class: property owners
- Working class: labourers
Until the 1980s, class often determined how a person would vote
- Class voting: the idea that people will vote for a party based on the economic interests of
their class
Classes A, B and C1 would usually be described as middle class and tended to vote conservative
Classes C2, D and even E would be described as working class and tended to vote Labour
Each party had a set of core voters from a distinct social class
- Core voter: any group of voters who will loyally vote for a party regardless of any personal
issues
Since 1970s, there has been a decline in the importance of economic issues and greater concern
about social issues
- Immigration
- Civil and human rights
- Crime
- Welfare provision
- Attitudes to sex and sexuality
- Britain’s position in the world
These social issues cross the class-based divisions, so it has resulted in class dealignment
- Class dealignment: when people no longer vote according to their social class
The widening of issues considered important by the electorate has also led to partisan
dealignment
- Partisan dealignment: the idea that people are less committed or loyal to one particular
party
1
, - This has led to an increase of floating voters
- Floating voters: voters who are not loyal to a party and are therefore open to persuasion
2017 general election
The share of conservative and Labour votes increased markedly
Smaller party votes decline dramatically, particularly UKIP
The conservative vote share remained constant in the A,B and C1 categories, but decreased
dramatically among the C2 and D, E voters
Labour's vote share with the DE groups remained stable, but they saw a significant increase in
vote share among the C1 and AB groups usually associated with the Conservatives
The Liberal Democrat vote remained fairly stable
The green vote fell, most likely moving to Labour
The end result shows that class was not a major dividing line in the 2017 general election, with
the AB and C1 groups voting 44% conservative and 40% Labour and the C2 and DE classes voting
44% conservative and 42% Labour
Instead of class, education is now a factor, with 55% of those with GCSES or below voting
conservative and 49% of those with a degree or above voting Labour
Gender
Political parties have been making efforts to appeal to women over the course of recent
elections
- In 2015, Labours Women To Women pink minibus visited 75 constituencies, targeting
women who did not vote in the previous election
- In 2014, David Cameron declared that Britain would lead the change on women's equality
- In 2014, Jo Swinson launched the liberal democrats campaign to push for equal pay and
increased childcare provision
- In 2010, Cameron worked to increase the number of female conservative MPs
Traditionally, women are believed to favour the conservatives, with the labour only winning a
larger share the female vote under tony Blair
The general election of 2015 appeared to show that gender was not, in fact, a crucial factor in
determining votes, with only a small male bias towards conservatives and UKIP, any slight
female bias towards labour
- The difference was relatively small
In 2017, the female vote spread evenly for the two main parties, but crucially the conservatives
won the male vote by 6%
On most issues there is little difference in opinion between men and women. The exceptions are
- Foreign intervention (war)
- Nuclear power
- Nuclear weapons
Men tend to prioritise these factors, while women tend to prioritise health and education
2
How do different regions of the UK vote
The Conservatives have continued to do well in areas that are predominantly white, rural, or
suburban and socially conservative
Since 2005, Labour Party support has contracted to industrial urban areas in South Wales, the
industrial North and London
Urban areas are now increasingly Labour
Scottish voters have very different concerns and priorities from the rest of the UK
Labour has lost its dominance in Scotland
In South East England, traditional party politics is becoming far more divided, with votes for UKIP
and the Green Party
How do class, gender age and ethnicity affect voting
Class
Traditionally, British society was divided into 3 classes based on wealth and how much money
was earned
- Upper class: landowners
- Middle class: property owners
- Working class: labourers
Until the 1980s, class often determined how a person would vote
- Class voting: the idea that people will vote for a party based on the economic interests of
their class
Classes A, B and C1 would usually be described as middle class and tended to vote conservative
Classes C2, D and even E would be described as working class and tended to vote Labour
Each party had a set of core voters from a distinct social class
- Core voter: any group of voters who will loyally vote for a party regardless of any personal
issues
Since 1970s, there has been a decline in the importance of economic issues and greater concern
about social issues
- Immigration
- Civil and human rights
- Crime
- Welfare provision
- Attitudes to sex and sexuality
- Britain’s position in the world
These social issues cross the class-based divisions, so it has resulted in class dealignment
- Class dealignment: when people no longer vote according to their social class
The widening of issues considered important by the electorate has also led to partisan
dealignment
- Partisan dealignment: the idea that people are less committed or loyal to one particular
party
1
, - This has led to an increase of floating voters
- Floating voters: voters who are not loyal to a party and are therefore open to persuasion
2017 general election
The share of conservative and Labour votes increased markedly
Smaller party votes decline dramatically, particularly UKIP
The conservative vote share remained constant in the A,B and C1 categories, but decreased
dramatically among the C2 and D, E voters
Labour's vote share with the DE groups remained stable, but they saw a significant increase in
vote share among the C1 and AB groups usually associated with the Conservatives
The Liberal Democrat vote remained fairly stable
The green vote fell, most likely moving to Labour
The end result shows that class was not a major dividing line in the 2017 general election, with
the AB and C1 groups voting 44% conservative and 40% Labour and the C2 and DE classes voting
44% conservative and 42% Labour
Instead of class, education is now a factor, with 55% of those with GCSES or below voting
conservative and 49% of those with a degree or above voting Labour
Gender
Political parties have been making efforts to appeal to women over the course of recent
elections
- In 2015, Labours Women To Women pink minibus visited 75 constituencies, targeting
women who did not vote in the previous election
- In 2014, David Cameron declared that Britain would lead the change on women's equality
- In 2014, Jo Swinson launched the liberal democrats campaign to push for equal pay and
increased childcare provision
- In 2010, Cameron worked to increase the number of female conservative MPs
Traditionally, women are believed to favour the conservatives, with the labour only winning a
larger share the female vote under tony Blair
The general election of 2015 appeared to show that gender was not, in fact, a crucial factor in
determining votes, with only a small male bias towards conservatives and UKIP, any slight
female bias towards labour
- The difference was relatively small
In 2017, the female vote spread evenly for the two main parties, but crucially the conservatives
won the male vote by 6%
On most issues there is little difference in opinion between men and women. The exceptions are
- Foreign intervention (war)
- Nuclear power
- Nuclear weapons
Men tend to prioritise these factors, while women tend to prioritise health and education
2
