Social Factors: Class, Age, Gender, Ethnicity, Region

This lesson examines how social factors — class, age, gender, ethnicity, and region — influence voting behaviour in the UK.

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Class

As discussed in the previous lesson, the link between social class and voting has weakened significantly (class dealignment). However, class still has some influence:

• Working-class voters are more likely to prioritise the NHS, public services, and redistribution
• Middle-class professionals (especially graduates) have increasingly voted Labour/Lib Dem
• Business owners and the self-employed tend to vote Conservative
• The 2019 election saw a dramatic shift: many working-class voters in the "Red Wall" voted Conservative, while many middle-class graduates in cities voted Labour

The New Class Divide

The traditional manual/non-manual divide has been replaced by an education-based divide:

• Graduates lean Labour/Lib Dem
• Non-graduates lean Conservative/Reform UK
• This education divide was particularly pronounced in the Brexit referendum (graduates voted Remain; non-graduates voted Leave)

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Age

Age is now one of the strongest predictors of voting behaviour in the UK.