The mass media, one of the main pillars of society, may also have an influence on the way in which the electorate casts their vote. In the 1950s and 1960s, an academic consensus emerged about the impact of the mass media on voting behaviour. Summarised in the slogan reinforcement not change, this orthodoxy maintained that voters used the media in a selective way as to sustain existing party loyalties. (Klapper,1960). Therefore, left-wing voters would be unlikely to watch party political broadcasts by right-wing parties; or if they did watch such broadcasts discount the arguments altogether. Newspaper readers, too, may read papers which confirmed rather than challenged their political bias. These mechanisms of selective exposure, interpretation and recall were regarded as firm barriers against media influence.
However, there are many reasons why the media must now be considered full members of the family of influences on voting behaviour. Firstly, the media can play a significant role in the way electorate vote if their part loyalties are weak. As party loyalties are increasingly diminishing in the Western world the media play a larger part in the lives of “floating voters”. Also, it is difficult for the average voter to ignore specific channels of the mass media as it is so accessible in the modern times. For instance, with the rapid expansion of the internet, cable television and newspapers it has become less troublesome for politicians and political parties to convey their message to the public. (Harrop, 1993)
Radical political scientists have accused the media of distorting the flow of political communication. According to Dunleavy and Husbands (1985) television and the press define what are to count as acceptable political views, influence citizens into similar models of thinking and also create a stream of messages favourable to political parties. (Dearlove and Saunders, 2001)
There are also other factors which may explain why the electorate vote they way they do. One of those other factors could include age; there has been recent statistical evidence to show that around 40% of first time voters vote Labour (Crewe, 1992). There is also a notion that younger voters are more likely to vote ‘radically’, i.e. for the smaller, more ‘revolutionary’ parties, such as the Green party or Socialist Labour Party. However, some would argue that younger, more politically apathetic voters tend to vote for the party their parents/friends vote for, or whoever is already in power. Unfortunately however, conventional wisdom suggests that young people in Britain are becoming increasingly alienated from the political process. This youth disillusionment can be measured in terms of declining party membership and political attitudes. In terms of voting behaviour, the electoral turnout of young people is symptomatic of a generalised malaise that is afflicting the British political system as a whole. In fact more 18 to 21 year old voted in the last Big Brother television show than the 2001 General Election. The rate of non-voting amongst all eligible adults has recently been in decline for local, general and European Assembly elections, and there are diminishing levels of trust generally in British political institutions, agents and processes.
Another factor in voting behaviour could be gender. In the general election held between 1979 and 1992 there was overwhelming evidence that women were more conservatively inclined than men (Pulzer, 1967) and that more women voted conservative than for any other parties. It has been suggested that women experience less pro-Labour exposure, as this can be said to occur in the workplace or through trade unions and most women work part time in non-unionised jobs. Also, it may be claimed that as women’s roles are traditionally as the ‘homemakers’, it has been argued that they uphold more traditional views on family and religion. Views which until recently tended to be upheld by the Conservative party. However, this seems like a rather old-fashioned idea, and is somewhat unconvincing in light of today’s society.
However, under Thatcher men actually supported the Conservatives more than women which emphasises the reversal of the gender trend. In 1992 however the gender gap reappeared in a marked way with the Conservatives remaining in power on the basis of female votes.
The invention of “Blair’s Babes” may show yet another swing in such trends in future elections. As the Labour Party had 101 female MP’s returned to Parliament in 1997, many women may feel more represented by Labour and therefore vote for them.
Race or Ethnicity, can also be an issue in voting behaviour. Statistics have shown that Black and Asian people are more likely to vote Labour than they are Conservative (72% of ‘ethnic groups’ voted for Labour in 1987). It is not clear why this occurs, but the Conservative party’s traditionally right wing views are often associated with racism and many may sight links with the BNP, which may well be discouraging Black/Asian groups from voting Conservative. (www.studentcentral.co.uk)
In terms of voting behaviour different ethnic peoples have been grouped together as Black (American and afro-Caribbean) and Asian (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi). Black people have a tendency to be strong labour supporters across the social groups, but more so in the DE groups than in the AB groups. Asian groups still have a tendency to vote labour, but far less so than for black people. Many more Asians see fit to vote conservative.
Of course, geography and region also act as a factor on voting behaviour. This was emphasised with the announcement of the Scottish fishing industry setting up a political party, in order to represent their interests amid fears over huge quota cuts.
The Scottish White Fish Producers' Association (SWFPA) said that existing political parties do little to represent the fishing industry's interests. Candidates have already been announced for Hollyrood’s May elections. In their manifesto they have vowed to continue to oppose plans to cut white fish fleets' quotas. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2688217.stm)
Other, more subtle factors, which effect voting patterns, may include short term influences, political events, as well as election timing. For instance, as tensions are mounting concerning Iraq, if a General Election were to be called, the outcome would most likely be extremely different from the previous two.
To conclude, it is clear that there is a range of social as well as economic factors which influence voting behaviour. However, there is no simple sociological explanation of why people vote the way they do. Perhaps it is not possible to make generalisations and assumptions on how specific people with certain backgrounds vote, as so many people vote against their class. It is made even more difficult with the re-invention of the Labour Party. New Labour is now right of centre and winning more middle class votes than ever. With a seemingly apparent consensus between Labour and Conservatives, it is also difficult to generalise about whom votes for who. With such similar policies it does appear that the electorate vote for the most charismatic leader rather than issues.
With so many “floating voters” too, who perhaps make up their minds on who to vote for on the day of the election, it is difficult to state what influences their voting behaviour.
The media is thought of as the main influence on the electorate on political issues. It has been claimed that instead of merely reporting the news, the mass media dictate it. Yet, with the reinforcement not change idea, this is difficult to analyse.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Harrop, Martin. Elections and Voters. The Macmillan Press LTD, 1993.
Pulzer, Peter G. J. Political Representation and Elections in Britain. George, Allen and Unwin LTD, 1972.
(http://www.studentcentral.co.uk/coursework/essays/2723.html)
