Voting Behaviour & the Media (Edexcel A Level Politics): Flashcards

True.

Graduates were more likely to have backed 'Remain' and have subsequently backed Labour, reversing the earlier pattern.

In 2024, 68% of Black voters supported Labour.

True.

In 2024, 34% of men and 35% of women voted Labour, showing the gender gap had narrowed.

A valence issue is one where all major parties agree on the goal, such as improving the NHS, so voters focus on which party they trust to deliver it.

In issue voting voters back the party they trust on a divisive salient issue such as Brexit, whereas in valence voting all major parties share the goal, so voters instead judge them on their perceived competence to deliver it.

Issue voting is when voters choose the party they trust most on the salient issue of the election.

John Major's failure to prevent the collapse of the pound on Black Wednesday (1992) damaged the Conservatives' reputation for economic competence.

False.

May refused to take part in the TV debates, which reinforced negative perceptions of her leadership.

Tactical voting involves voters casting their ballot to block a disliked party rather than to support their genuine first preference.

They suggest newspaper endorsements have historically aligned with electoral outcomes, as The Sun's 1997 switch to Labour preceded its landslide and the claim 'It's The Sun Wot Won It'.

Campaign events shape perceptions of a leader's credibility and personality, as in 2019 when Boris Johnson appeared to hide in a fridge to avoid reporters, damaging his image.

As newspaper readership declines, parties increasingly use platforms like TikTok and Instagram to reach voters directly, challenging traditional media influence.

True.

Partygate damaged Boris Johnson's credibility, led to his 2022 resignation and further instability under Truss and Sunak.

The 2009 expenses scandal saw several MPs lose their seats, including Jacqui Smith's resignation.

An opinion poll is a survey that asks a sample of people about their views on political issues, parties or leaders, to estimate what the wider population thinks.

Opinion polls that predict a clear winner can demobilise supporters of both sides, as in 2024 when polling pointed to a Labour landslide and turnout fell to a historic low of 59.8%.

The bandwagon effect is when the perception of a party's momentum influences undecided voters to back it, potentially raising its turnout or majority.

The popularity of televised debates has declined, with just 4.8 million voters watching the 2024 televised debate.

False.

Print newspaper circulation has been in decline since 2010, with reach falling from around 40% in 2018 to 26% in 2023.

The 'shy Tory' phenomenon was used to explain why the Conservatives polled quite low in 2015 but went on to victory.

Agenda setting is the media's power to shape what voters think about through newspaper front pages and broadcast news stories.

The use of social media by adults to access news rose to 52% in 2024, up from 44% in 2018.

True.

By attacking the judges' ruling in Miller v Brexit Secretary (2017), the headline shaped public debate on the judiciary, illustrating agenda setting.

Televised debates can change voters' perceptions of leaders, as in 2010 when Nick Clegg's strong performances boosted his popularity, though this did not translate into many extra seats.

An echo chamber is where voters self-select the news they want to hear rather than being exposed to a range of outlets offering differing views.

By 2023, 68% of UK adults said they used online news sources.

The Winter of Discontent was the period of widespread public sector strikes, refuse collection stoppages and industrial disruption that made the Callaghan government deeply unpopular before 1979.

Margaret Thatcher led the Conservative Party to victory in the 1979 general election.

Under Labour, unemployment had reached 1.5 million by the time of the 1979 general election.

FPTP amplified the swing from Labour to the Conservatives, winning 339 seats and turning a modest vote lead into a decisive majority.

False.

Many national newspapers backed the Conservatives, emphasising Labour's divisions and the chaos of industrial disputes.

Class dealignment is the weakening of the link between social class and party choice, seen in 1979 as the Conservatives gained among C1 and C2 workers.

The Conservatives' highly effective 1979 slogan was 'Labour Isn't Working', featuring long queues of unemployed people.

Turnout in the 1979 general election was high at 76%, reflecting a widespread sense of national crisis and a public desire for change.

The post-war consensus was the shared approach based on mixed-economy principles, strong welfare provision and cooperative relations with trade unions, which the 1979 election brought to an end.

The 1979 general election launched the Thatcher era, marked by reduced union power, monetarist policies and privatisation.

False.

Callaghan was personally more popular than his party, but his government was seen as tired and ineffective.

Tony Blair led the Labour Party to victory in the 1997 general election.

A winner's bonus is the exaggerated seat majority that FPTP gives the leading party relative to its vote share, as it amplified Labour's dominance in 1997.

The 1997 general election took place after 18 years of Conservative rule.

Black Wednesday in 1992 severely damaged the Conservatives' reputation for economic competence.

True.

Labour won 418 seats, giving Blair a powerful mandate for constitutional reform.

New Labour was Tony Blair's rebranding of the Labour Party, abandoning unpopular policies such as Clause IV and embracing a more centrist agenda.

Labour's optimistic campaign, epitomised by the slogan 'Things Can Only Get Better', tapped into the national mood for change.

Partisan dealignment is the long-term decline in voters' loyalty to a single party, evidenced in 1997 as long-term Conservative voters switched allegiances in large numbers.

The scale of the Conservatives' 1997 defeat, their worst since 1906, is cited as evidence of long-term partisan dealignment.

They signalled a broader media realignment, with even the previously Conservative-supporting Sun switching to help present Blair as modern and trustworthy.

False.

The Conservative Party did not return to government until 2010.

A Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government resulted from the 2010 general election.

A hung parliament occurs when no single party wins an overall majority of seats, as happened in 2010.

The 2010 general election produced the first hung parliament since 1974, reflecting growing fragmentation of the party system.

The Conservatives won the most seats, 306, but fell short of an overall majority, producing the first hung parliament since 1974.

False.

Most national newspapers backed the Conservatives in the 2010 general election.

A coalition government is formed when two or more parties agree a joint programme to govern together, set out in 2010 in the Coalition Agreement.

Brown's leadership was seen as lacking charisma, and his 'bigoted woman' comment, caught on a live microphone, reinforced negative perceptions and damaged Labour's campaign.

Austerity refers to policies of reduced public spending aimed at cutting the budget deficit, which the coalition introduced after 2010.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats together won 59% of the popular vote, giving the coalition democratic legitimacy.

The newly introduced televised leaders' debates boosted Nick Clegg's popularity in 2010.

True.

The 2008 crisis raised national debt and public concern over economic management, shaping the 2010 election.

Negative voting is when voters cast their ballot mainly to remove a party from office rather than out of enthusiasm, as when many voted Labour in 2024 to remove the Conservatives.

Labour's landslide of 411 seats gave it a large parliamentary majority, enabling it to pursue its agenda of economic and institutional renewal.

Dealignment is the weakening of traditional class, age and regional voting patterns, making voters more fluid in their party choice.

Turnout in the 2024 general election was just 59.8%, the second-lowest on record.

True.

Labour won a landslide 411 seats on just 34% of the vote, making it the most disproportionate result under FPTP.

It reflects the notable role of third parties, with Reform UK on around 14% and the Liberal Democrats on 12% drawing significant support.

Realignment is a lasting shift in party support, shown in 2024 when Labour expanded into traditionally Conservative southern areas while keeping its urban support.

Reform UK's strong vote share of around 14% intensified internal Conservative pressures over the party's identity and future direction.

It illustrated how newspaper endorsements can shift with the political mood, as traditionally Conservative outlets like The Sun backed Labour just before polling day.

The Conservative seat total fell to 121 in 2024, the lowest in the party's history.

False.

Reform UK's vote share was poorly converted into seats, winning only 5 despite around 14% of the national vote.