Voting Behaviour

Voting Behaviour

1. Factors

   • Long Term (Primacy)
     • Gender
     • Ethnicity
     • Geography
     • Age
     • Class
     • Parents/upbringing
     • UNLIKELY TO CHANGE DRAMATICALLY BETWEEN ELECTIONS
   • Short Term (Recency)
     • The Media
     • Issues
     • Leadership
     • MORE LIKELY TO CHANGE BETWEEN ELECTIONS

2. Types of Voting

   • Tactical
     • Voting against a party you don't like rather than for a party you do
     • Common for supporters of smaller parties who are unlikely to do well under FPTP
   • Protest
     • Voting to protest the actions of a larger party by voting for a smaller party

3. General vs By Elections

   • General
     • Larger turn out
     • Larger parties dominate
     • More at stake
   • By-elections
     • Smaller turn out
     • Smaller parties more likely to be successful