starter activity

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? starter activity
Who or what influences the way we vote?
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• Class
• Age
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Education
• Media
• Party policies

• Party leaders
• Opinion polls
• Issues
• Geography
• Parents
• Personal economic prospects

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Who influences the way we vote?

• An introduction to voting behaviour

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How do psephologists interpret voting behaviour?

• Psephology
• Primacy model (social divisions, e.g. age,
  gender, ethnicity)
• Recency model (volatile voting behaviour, e.g.
  partisan dealignment, embourgeoisement, floating
  voters )

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Voting behaviour in by-elections marginals

• Voting more volatile
• Protest tactical voting v. common
• Media party focus
• By election seats often recaptured by original
  holders at general elections

2005 anti-Iraq vote, e.g. Oona King, Bethanl
Green Bow lost to George Galloway
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Voting behaviour in general elections

• Opinion polls
• Swing of votes from one party to another,
  measured against last general election
• 2005 GE, 2.0 swing from Lab. to Cons.

The Times Swingometer for 2005 GE
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? Your task

• Test your knowledge of key terms and ideas
  related to voting behaviour by doing the
  activities on the Key words activity sheet.