Factors which influence voting behaviour PDF

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Factors which influence voting behaviour Analyse the influence of the media on voting behaviour (12) One way the media can influence voting behaviour is by being a source of information. The media is the main source of information for most people. This means that media is very influential when it comes to a voters opinion on political parties and candidates. This was certainly the case after the introduction of televised debates in 2010. However, the media may not be influential to voters who already have very strong political views. Many voters may have made up their minds from previous voting terms about what political party to vote for, or the influence of the media may not be important at all as some may not choose to vote at all. In 2015, 62% of British voters had already decided the party they would vote for. Therefore, the media is only partly influential as, although it can provide voters with information to help them decide which party to vote for, it may not influence those who have already decided which party they will vote for or those who do not plan on voting at all. Another way the media can influence voting behaviour is by setting the agenda. If the media focuses on a certain issue, it can raise awareness amongst the public and encourage action. Recently EU migration has been a key issue in the news after David Cameron was involved in negotiations to put a cap on EU migrants. As a result, parties that focus on issues targeted in the news are more likely to gain more voter attention. UKIP is one political party that has introduced policy promises targeting to tackle the issue with migration and have seen an increase in support. In 2015, UKIP would have gained 83 seats in Parliament if the UK had used a more proportionate system. Therefore, media can influence voting behaviour as it raises awareness of issues faced by the UK and voters can vote for parties that are targeting issues that the voter believes are important.

Analyse the link between social class and voting behaviour (12) One factor that can have an influence on voting behaviour is social class. People from

different social classes may vote based on manifestos the will benefit them. Those from a lower class will most likely vote for parties targeting welfare, such as Labour, whereas those from a higher class will vote for parties seeking to reduce taxes, such as the Conservatives. In the 2017 General Election, 47% of the AB class voted for the Conservatives and 47% of the DE class had voted for Labour. However, social class is not as important as it used to be. Nowadays, people, especially younger voters, are voting based on issues happening within the country. Voters are now more likely to vote based on policy promises based on helping the country, rather than their own social class. This is called partisan dealignment. Since 2015 there has been an 11% increase in support for Labour from the AB class and the Conservatives had seen a 12% increase from the DE class. Therefore, social class has very little influence on voting behaviour as, although people are more likely to vote based on policies introduced to help their specific social class, people are now starting to move away from the idea of social class and are voting based on issues faced by the country as a whole. Another factor that can influence voting behaviour is gender. Generally, men and women tend to vote similarly. In 2017, 43% of women and 45% of men voted for the Conservatives. However, there is a more prominent link between gender and social class. Women are more likely to vote for Labour. This is especially true to young women as they tend to benefit from welfare support and men tend to vote for the Conservatives as they tend to be wealthier. In the UK, females make up 60% of low paying jobs and over 21% of women are in poverty compared to 19% of men. Therefore, there is a link between social and gender as women tend to be from poorer backgrounds than men and vote accordingly showing that social class is linked to voting behaviour through gender.

To what extent is age the most influential factor on voting behaviour (20) Voting behaviour can be influenced by many different factors. These include age, social class and the media. However, many have had a reduced influence in recent years.

One factor that has an influence on voting behaviour is age. Older voters tend to be at the top of their earnings and favour more Conservative policies, such as tax reductions. In 2017, 69% of voters over the age of 70 had voted Conservative. However, in recent years people are becoming less concerned with income and age divisions and more with party promises. Younger voters are starting to vote increasingly based on policies being introduced to tackle problems faced by the country such as education and youth employment, leading to increasing votes for parties like Labour. In 2017, 69% of over 18-19 year olds voted Labour. Therefore, age is an influential factor in voting behaviour as older voters are more likely to vote based on policies that benefit them and younger voters are more likely to vote for parties based on issues faced by their age group. One factor that can have an influence on voting behaviour is social class. Those from a lower class will most likely vote for parties targeting welfare, such as Labour, whereas those from a higher class will vote for parties seeking to reduce taxes, such as the Conservatives. In the 2017 General Election, 47% of the AB class voted for the Conservatives and 47% of the DE class had voted for Labour. However, social class is not as important as it used to be. Nowadays, people, especially younger voters, are voting based on issues happening within the country. Voters are now more likely to vote based on policy promises based on helping the country, rather than their own social class. This is called partisan dealignment. Since 2015 there has been an 11% increase in support for Labour from the AB class and the Conservatives had seen a 12% increase from the DE class. Therefore, social class has very little influence on voting behaviour as, although people are more likely to vote based on policies introduced to help their specific social class, people are now starting to move away from the idea of social class and are voting based on issues faced by the country as a whole. Another factor that can influence voting behaviour is media. One way the media can influence voting behaviour is by setting the agenda. If the media focuses on a certain issue, it can raise awareness amongst the public and encourage action. Recently EU migration has been a key issue in the news after David Cameron was involved in negotiations to put a cap on EU migrants. As a result, parties that focus on issues targeted in the news are more likely to gain more voter attention. UKIP is one political party that has introduced policy promises targeting to tackle the issue with migration and have seen an increase in support. In 2015, UKIP would have gained 83 seats in Parliament if the UK had used a more proportionate system. Therefore, media can influence voting behaviour as it raises awareness of issues faced by the UK and voters can vote for parties that are targeting issues that the voter believes are important. In conclusion, age is not the most influential factor as although it does have a significant influence in voting behaviour, the media can also influence voting behaviour. However one factor that has very little impact is social class as people are moving away from the idea of social class.

To what extent is social class the most influential factor on voting behaviour (20) Voting behaviour can be influenced by many different factors. These include social class, age and the media. However, many have had a reduced influence in recent years. One factor that can have an influence on voting behaviour is social class. Those from a lower class will most likely vote for parties targeting welfare, whereas those from a higher

class will vote for parties seeking to reduce taxes. In the 2017 General Election, 47% of the AB class voted for the Conservatives and 47% of the DE class had voted for Labour. However, social class is not as important as it used to be. Voters are now more likely to vote based on policy promises based on helping the country, rather than their own social class. This is called partisan dealignment. Since 2015 there has been an 11% increase in support for Labour from the AB class and the Conservatives had seen a 12% increase from the DE class. Therefore, social class has very little influence on voting behaviour as, although people are more likely to vote based on policies introduced to help their specific social class, people are now starting to move away from the idea of social class and are voting based on issues faced by the country as a whole. Another factor that has an influence on voting behaviour is age. Older voters tend to be at the top of their earnings and favour more Conservative policies, such as tax reductions. In 2017, 69% of voters over the age of 70 had voted Conservative. However, in recent years people are becoming less concerned with income and age divisions and more with party promises. Younger voters are starting to vote increasingly based on policies being introduced to tackle problems faced by the country such as education and youth employment, leading to increasing votes for parties like Labour. In 2017, 69% of over 18-19 year olds voted Labour. Therefore, age is an influential factor in voting behaviour as older voters are more likely to vote based on policies that benefit them and younger voters are more likely to vote for parties based on issues faced by their age group. Another factor that can influence voting behaviour is media. One way the media can influence voting behaviour is by setting the agenda. If the media focuses on a certain issue, it can raise awareness amongst the public and encourage action. Recently EU migration has been a key issue in the news after David Cameron was involved in negotiations to put a cap on EU migrants. As a result, parties that focus on issues targeted in the news are more likely to gain more voter attention. UKIP is one political party that has introduced policy promises targeting to tackle the issue with migration and have seen an increase in support. In 2015, UKIP would have gained 83 seats in Parliament if the UK had used a more proportionate system. Therefore, media can influence voting behaviour as it raises awareness of issues faced by the UK and voters can vote for parties that are targeting issues that the voter believes are important. In conclusion, social class is not the most influential factor as people are moving from the idea of social class. However, the most influential factors in voting behaviour are age and media as people are voting based on issues affecting their age group and are receiving political information from the media.

To what extent is the media the most influential factor on voting behaviour (20) Voting behaviour can be influenced by many different factors. These include media, age and social class. However, many have had a reduced influence in recent years. One factor that can influence voting behaviour is media. One way the media can influence voting behaviour is by setting the agenda. If the media focuses on a certain issue, it can raise awareness amongst the public and encourage action. Recently EU migration has been a key issue in the news after David Cameron was involved in negotiations to put a cap on EU migrants. As a result, parties that focus on issues targeted in the news are more likely to gain more voter attention. UKIP is one political party that has introduced policy promises

targeting to tackle the issue with migration and have seen an increase in support. In 2015, UKIP would have gained 83 seats in Parliament if the UK had used a more proportionate system. Therefore, media can influence voting behaviour as it raises awareness of issues faced by the UK and voters can vote for parties that are targeting issues that the voter believes are important. Another factor that has an influence on voting behaviour is age. Older voters tend to be at the top of their earnings and favour more Conservative policies, such as tax reductions. In 2017, 69% of voters over the age of 70 had voted Conservative. However, in recent years people are becoming less concerned with income and age divisions and more with party promises. Younger voters are starting to vote increasingly based on policies being introduced to tackle problems faced by the country such as education and youth employment, leading to increasing votes for parties like Labour. In 2017, 69% of over 18-19 year olds voted Labour. Therefore, age is an influential factor in voting behaviour as older voters are more likely to vote based on policies that benefit them and younger voters are more likely to vote for parties based on issues faced by their age group. One factor that can have an influence on voting behaviour is social class. Those from a lower class will most likely vote for parties targeting welfare, whereas those from a higher class will vote for parties seeking to reduce taxes. In the 2017 General Election, 47% of the AB class voted for the Conservatives and 47% of the DE class had voted for Labour. However, social class is not as important as it used to be. Voters are now more likely to vote based on policy promises based on helping the country, rather than their own social class. This is called partisan dealignment. Since 2015 there has been an 11% increase in support for Labour from the AB class and the Conservatives had seen a 12% increase from the DE class. Therefore, social class has very little influence on voting behaviour as, although people are more likely to vote based on policies introduced to help their specific social class, people are now starting to move away from the idea of social class and are voting based on issues faced by the country as a whole. In conclusion, media is an influential factor that affects voting behaviour as many people get their political information from the media. Age is also an influential factor in voting behaviour as people are voting based on issues faced by their age group. However, social class is no longer an influential factor as many people are moving away from the idea of social class in recent years....