‘Evaluate the view that social factors determine voting behaviour’ (30 Marks)
For years, many would think that the traditional social factors such as class and age are key into
determining the outcome of an election. However, in recent times voting behaviour has become
more unpredictable due to class dealignment and the higher relevance of other non-social factors
like valence and issue voting ,as people are now changing who they choose for each election rather
than choosing a party depending on their social circumstances. In this essay we will conclude that
non-social factors are more significant in determining voting behaviour than social factors.
Firstly, the social factor of class could be said to determine a person voting behaviour as both the
Labour and Conservative parties tailor their policies to either side of the class spectrum. Traditionally
Labour focuses their polices on social issues like introducing minimum wage that appeals to the
working class whereas Tories concentrate policy on economic growth and lower taxation rates to
attract wealthier middle-class voters. This can be seen in the 1964 general election where 78% of AB
class voters had voted Conservative and 64% of the DE class had voted Labour, this trend of class
voting has reoccurred in the more current elections of 1987 and 1997. From this data it could mean
that people are most likely to vote on a party depending on which class they fall into, as either party
could benefit their personal situation more in their class set, as they feel they are going to be
considered more in policy decisions of their aligned party. Overall, it appears that there is a strong
relationship between class set and a person’s chosen party meaning that social factors can be used
to determine how people are going to vote.
On the other hand, non-social factors may be able to determine voting behaviour more, as in recent
times some social factors like class have become increasingly irrelevant when predicting the
outcome of elections. This could be due to the idea of partisan-dealignment taking place in recent
times, in which voters will not be loyal to one party and will have to be persuaded by a party to cast
their vote with them. The most notable example of this would be in the 2019 general election where
Labour’s working class ‘red wall’ of traditional safe seats was completely dismantled by the
Conservatives. Bassetlaw illustrated this significantly as they went from being a safe Labour
constituency in 1929 consistently getting over a 50% Labour vote every election, to a completely
dominant 55.2% Conservative seat in 2019 this was repeated in the Hartlepool by-election in May
2021, the Tories had conquered another Labour safe seat again showing that in these modern times
that class and social factors are not as impactful as other factors in determining voting behaviour. It
is clear by the evidence that class is no longer a major factor in voting behaviour because members
of the working class must be voting for either party if the Conservatives are able to gain such
landslide victories in these traditional Labour seats, meaning that class is no longer relevant in
predicting voting behaviour.
Another social factor that arguably could determine voting behaviour would be age. It is common
knowledge that the older generations are highly likely to vote Tory and younger generations are
more likely to vote Labour. The reasoning for this would be that the Conservatives appeal more to
those who have already established a stable life, having climbed the career ladder equating to higher
incomes, usually owning property, and having built savings, so policies that include low taxation
policies and a stable economy that the Conservatives offer would appeal to them. Younger voters
typically are attracted to Labour because they want to make improvements on social justice and are
more open to changes which Labour are likely to put in their manifesto. This point can further be
highlighted by the results of the 2017 general election where Jeremy Corbyn had taken 62% of the
18-24 vote after planning to scrap tuition fees and Conservatives had gained 61% of the 65+ vote.
Evidently with these high figures it easy to say that age can determine voting behaviour especially as
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