Elections and Voters in Britain

The revised edition of this popular text incorporates material from the 2010 general election and discusses the latest research. The book provides a lucid account of the development of electoral politics in Britain over the post war period but focuses particularly on recent elections making full use of British Election Study (BES) survey data.

• How do voters in Britain decide which party to vote for in elections?

• Why do smaller parties get more support than they used to?

• How do the mass media influence political opinions? The authors examine these and other questions in the third edition of this popular text. They trace the evolution of the British electorate over the post-war period, and focus in particular on recent elections from Labour's victories in the 2000s through to the hung parliament of 2010.

  As well as examining and explaining theories of party choice including the view that voters' evaluations of government performance and party leaders are now the key determinants of election outcomes the authors also devote separate chapters to turnout trends and patterns, electoral systems and the geography of party support. Campaigning, opinion polls and the mass media are also considered. Fully revised, the text incorporates the latest research on elections and voting behaviour, and includes analysis of recent trends and developments including how 'new media' are affecting election campaigning.

A systematically revised and updated edition of the leading text in the fieldProvides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of electoral politics Revised and updated to incorporate the latest data from the 2010 general election and the 2011 AV referendum

Autorentext
DAVID DENVER Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of Lancaster, UK.
CHRISTOPHER CARMAN Senior Lecturer in Government in the School of Government and Public Policy, University of Strathclyde, UK. ROBERT JOHNS Senior Lecturer in Politics in the Department of Government at the University of Essex, UK.

Klappentext
• How do voters in Britain decide which party to vote for in elections?
• Why do smaller parties get more support than they used to?
• How do the mass media influence political opinions?

The authors examine these and other questions in the third edition of this popular text. They trace the evolution of the British electorate over the post-war period, and focus in particular on recent elections from Labour's victories in the 2000s through to the hung parliament of 2010.

As well as examining and explaining theories of party choice including the view that voters' evaluations of government performance and party leaders are now the key determinants of election outcomes the authors also devote separate chapters to turnout trends and patterns, electoral systems and the geography of party support. Campaigning, opinion polls and the mass media are also considered. Fully revised, the text incorporates the latest research on elections and voting behaviour, and includesanalysis of recent trends and developments including how 'new media' are affecting election campaigning.

Zusammenfassung
How do voters in Britain decide which party to vote for in elections?Why do smaller parties get more support than they used to?How do the mass media influence political opinions?The authors examine these and other questions in the third edition of this popular text.

Inhalt

Studying British Elections.- Turnout: Why People Vote (or Don't).- Alignment and Dealignment.- Issues, Policies and Performance.- Party Images and Party Leaders.- Campaigning and Mass Media.- Electoral Geography and Electoral Systems.- Elections and Party Choice in Contemporary Britain.