Is Social Class Still the Most Important Determinant of Voting Behaviour in Contemporary Britain?
“Is social class still the most important determinant of voting behaviour in contemporary British politics?”
Introduction
“The view that British society is divided into two primary classes is much more than a sociologist’s simplification; it seems to be deeply rooted in the mind of the ordinary British citizen.” (Butler and Stokes, 1969)
If this statement were still applicable to today’s society, then it would establish social class as the most important factor of voting behaviour. The question is whether British society is still as clearly separated into two classes and whether the members of each class are still as aware of it as they seemed to be when the statement was made.
Without rushing ahead, it can be stated here that social structure has changed over the last few decades and that class boundaries seem to have blurred. So what has the impact on the people as the electorate been and how have the main parties reacted to the changes?
The discussion of these questions will start with a definition of class, which seems vital in order to have a clear idea about how class and party allegiances are linked. Subsequently, different theories of voting behaviour will be briefly discussed, followed by an examination of the connection between sociological and political factors determining class dealignment, so as to finally come to a conclusion whether class is still relevant to voting choice and to what extent.
Defining social class
“class is the basis of British party politics; all else is embellishment and detail” (Pulzer, 1967)
A considerable amount of psephological study[1] has focused on the link between class and party allegiance. However, the concept of class is a heavily contested one and has been the subject of much argument amongst political scientists.
Marxists see society divided by major economic and social factors, resulting in a two-class model: the bourgeoisie, owning the means of production in a capitalist system, and the proletariat who are
Introduction
“The view that British society is divided into two primary classes is much more than a sociologist’s simplification; it seems to be deeply rooted in the mind of the ordinary British citizen.” (Butler and Stokes, 1969)
If this statement were still applicable to today’s society, then it would establish social class as the most important factor of voting behaviour. The question is whether British society is still as clearly separated into two classes and whether the members of each class are still as aware of it as they seemed to be when the statement was made.
Without rushing ahead, it can be stated here that social structure has changed over the last few decades and that class boundaries seem to have blurred. So what has the impact on the people as the electorate been and how have the main parties reacted to the changes?
The discussion of these questions will start with a definition of class, which seems vital in order to have a clear idea about how class and party allegiances are linked. Subsequently, different theories of voting behaviour will be briefly discussed, followed by an examination of the connection between sociological and political factors determining class dealignment, so as to finally come to a conclusion whether class is still relevant to voting choice and to what extent.
Defining social class
“class is the basis of British party politics; all else is embellishment and detail” (Pulzer, 1967)
A considerable amount of psephological study[1] has focused on the link between class and party allegiance. However, the concept of class is a heavily contested one and has been the subject of much argument amongst political scientists.
Marxists see society divided by major economic and social factors, resulting in a two-class model: the bourgeoisie, owning the means of production in a capitalist system, and the proletariat who are
Bibliography: Budge, I. ‘Party Policy and Ideologie: Reversing the 1950s?’ in Evans, G. and Norris, P. (eds) (1999) Critical Elections: British Parties and Voters in Long-term Perspective. London: Sage Butler, D Crewe, I. (1986) ‘On the death and resurrection of class voting: some comments on How Britain Votes’. Political Studies, vol. XXXIV Crewe, I Dearlove, J. and Saunders, P. (2000) Introduction to British Politics, 3rd edn. Cambridge: Polity Dunleavy, P Heath, A et al. (1985) How Britain Votes. Oxford: Pergamon Heath, A., Evans, G Kavanagh, D. ‘Voting Behaviour’ in Jones, B. et al. (2001) Politics UK. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd. Norris, P. (1997) Electoral Change since 1945. Oxford: Blackwell Pulzer, P Sanders, D. (1991) ‘Government popularity and the next election’. Political Quarterly 62 Sanders, D Sarlvik, B. and Crewe, I. (1983) Decade of Dealignment. London: Cambridge University Press Walker, D