voting behaviour

   The study of voting behaviour developed in the mid-twentieth century and was based on the new developments in survey research. Much has been written about the relationships between voting behaviour and social class, education, religion and social attitudes. Political scientists have developed various models to explain changes that have taken place in voting over recent decades, none of which explains voting patterns entirely.

   Long-term influences include party identification and loyalty, social class and other factors relating to the social structure, such as age, gender, occupation, race and religion. Short-term influences include the economy, the personal qualities and appeal of the party leaders, the style and effectiveness of party campaigning, the impact of the mass media, and the events leading up to the election. Broadly, the long-term factors have declined in their importance in British politics and the short-term ones have assumed an increased significance. The breakdown of the traditional associations has been of considerable importance for the parties that can no longer count on the support they once took for granted. The academic literature of the postwar era pointed to a positive relationship between membership of a social class and the way people cast their vote. However, from the 1970s onwards, the process of class dealignment was reflected in a reduction in Conservative support from the professional and managerial classes and a reduction in Labour support from the working classes. In 1997, Labour increased its support across all social classes and for some years it continued to broaden its appeal in Middle England. In 2005, it suffered a sharp decline in the number and percentage of votes it polled. Over the country as a whole: women rallied to Labour and the Liberal Democrats; younger voters (especially the under-35s, if they voted) overwhelmingly backed Labour or, in university constituencies, the Liberal Democrats; the over-65s inclined to the Conservatives; and in all classes other than AB and the C1s, Labour was ahead of its main rival.

   Further reading: D. Denver, Elections and Voters in Britain, Palgrave, 2002