Why must national data sources be used when analysing voting behaviour patterns?

National data sources provide representative, systematic evidence of voting patterns across the whole electorate, allowing valid comparisons between elections and identification of trends that local data cannot reveal.

What role do opinion polls play as a national data source for analysing voting behaviour?

Opinion polls measure voting intentions and attitudes before and during elections, allowing analysis of how support changes during campaigns and how different demographic groups intend to vote.

How is election results data used to analyse voting behaviour?

Official election results data shows actual vote shares and seat distributions, enabling analysis of how support varied geographically and how votes translated into seats under the electoral system.

What is class dealignment?

Class dealignment refers to the weakening of the traditional relationship between social class and voting behaviour, meaning working-class voters are no longer as reliably Labour and middle-class voters no longer as reliably Conservative.

Edexcel A-Level Politics 9PL0

Democracy and Participation

Topic overview Current systems of representative and direct democracy A wider franchise and debates over suffrage Pressure groups and other influences Think tanks, lobbyists and corporations Rights in context

Political Parties

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Electoral Systems

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Voting Behaviour and the Media

Topic overview The 1979, 1997 and 2010 general election results Why elections are won and lost Class, partisanship and social factors Analysing voting behaviour data The influence of the media

Liberalism

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FeminismNon-core

Topic overview Sex, gender and patriarchy Equality, difference and intersectionality Different types of feminism Feminist thinkers and their ideas

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Topic overview Nationalism: core ideas and principles Different types of nationalism Rousseau, Herder and cultural nationalism Mazzini, Maurras and Garvey

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Topic overview Democratic features of the US Constitution Constitutional strengths, weaknesses and modern debates Federalism, state powers and the laboratories of democracy The Supreme Court, fiscal federalism and the centralisation debate

US CongressUSA

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US Democracy and ParticipationUSA

Topic overview The US two-party system How a president is elected The Electoral College and the debate on reform Democratic and Republican party ideas Voting coalitions in the 2024 presidential election Campaign finance and its regulation Interest groups: methods, access and power

Comparative Theories and the UK-US ComparisonUSA

Topic overview Comparing the UK and US legislatures: structure and powers Comparing the UK and US legislatures: strengths and approaches Comparing the executives: powers and selection Comparing the executives: accountability and approaches Comparing the Supreme Courts: powers and appointments Comparing rights protection and interest group litigation Comparing party systems and party ideas Comparing campaign finance and pressure groups Applying the three approaches to democracy and participation Comparative theories: rational, cultural and structural Comparing the UK and US constitutions

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Global Governance: Political and EconomicGlobal

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Topic overview Regionalism: forms and growth Regionalism, sovereignty and levels of integration NAFTA, the USMCA and the African Union The Arab League and ASEAN The treaties that built the European Union EU institutions and enlargement Economic and Monetary Union and the euro Supranationalism, intergovernmentalism and the drivers of integration The EU's political and economic influence The EU's military influence and normative power How regionalism addresses conflict, poverty and rights The limits of regionalism in resolving global issues

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Topic overview Realism: states, anarchy and the balance of power Liberalism: morality, interdependence and global governance Divisions between realism and liberalism The anarchical society and the society of states Evaluating realism and liberalism against events since 2000

Voting Behaviour and the Media

Analysing voting behaviour data

3 things to know
Component 1

Overview

Recall questions on opinion polls, election results data and the British Election Study, class and partisan dealignment, class-based against issue voting, and long-term against short-term factors.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What is the distinction between long-term and short-term factors in explaining election outcomes?

Key term

What is the British Election Study and why is it valuable?

Key term

Why do voting-behaviour patterns vary between elections?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Why must national data sources be used when analysing voting behaviour patterns?
Model answer
National data sources provide representative, systematic evidence of voting patterns across the whole electorate, allowing valid comparisons between elections and identification of trends that local data cannot reveal.
2
What role do opinion polls play as a national data source for analysing voting behaviour?
Model answer
Opinion polls measure voting intentions and attitudes before and during elections, allowing analysis of how support changes during campaigns and how different demographic groups intend to vote.
3
How is election results data used to analyse voting behaviour?
Model answer
Official election results data shows actual vote shares and seat distributions, enabling analysis of how support varied geographically and how votes translated into seats under the electoral system.
4
What is the British Election Study and why is it valuable?
Model answer
The British Election Study is a major academic survey conducted at each general election, providing detailed data on voters' characteristics, attitudes, and behaviour, enabling sophisticated analysis of why people voted as they did.
5
Why do voting-behaviour patterns vary between elections?
Model answer
Patterns vary due to changing short-term factors (leaders, issues, campaigns, economic conditions), long-term social changes (class and partisan dealignment), and shifts in party positioning and appeal to different voter groups.
6
What is class dealignment?
Model answer
Class dealignment refers to the weakening of the traditional relationship between social class and voting behaviour, meaning working-class voters are no longer as reliably Labour and middle-class voters no longer as reliably Conservative.

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