People, Politics and Participation Definitions

?
Abstention
When people choose not to participate in an activity (i.e voting)
1 of 26
Apathy
Passivity or indifference (can result in a low turnout)
2 of 26
Churn
Where significant changes to party allegiance is masked by a small headline swing
3 of 26
Class alignment
The correlation between social class and voting behaviour
4 of 26
Democracy
The power is in the people
5 of 26
Dominant ideology model
The notion that there exists a shared set of values and beliefs within any society that will shape the way in which individuals view each political party
6 of 26
Elitism
The tendency to defer to the ideas of a small group who share a common socio-economic background
7 of 26
Gender gap
The historical divide between the patterns of party support shown by women when voting in elections and those shown by men
8 of 26
General voting model
An overarching model of voting behaviour that seeks to demonstrate the links that exist between some of those features emphasised under other voting models
9 of 26
Identifier
A person who identifies with a certain political party
10 of 26
Liberal democracy
A democratic style incorporating free and fair elections with a belief in the importance of certain key rights and responsibilities
11 of 26
Long-term factors
Long-standing influences on voting behaviour that endure from election to election
12 of 26
Media
Newspapers, radios, television, internet etc. Broadcast media are under a legal obligation to not show a political bias
13 of 26
Partisan alignment
An individual's long-standing psychological attachment to a particular political party
14 of 26
Partisan dealignment
An apparent decline in the number of people who strongly identify with one political party
15 of 26
Pluralist democracy
A system of government that encourages participation and allows for free and fair competition between competing interests. Characterised by: a diversenrange of competing interests; numerous access points; the inability to exclude any groups.
16 of 26
Political participation
How an individual is involved in politics: voting, protesting, memberships to pressure groups/political parties etc
17 of 26
Politics
A process of conflict resolution resulting in the division of power and resources between individuals; individuals and state and different institutions that make up the state
18 of 26
Protest voting
Where voters cast a ballot in favour of a candidate or party they wouldn't normally support, often to send a message to their natural party of the government
19 of 26
Rational choice model
An explanation of voting behaviour that sees voters as rational individuals choosing between parties on the basis of their policies, leaders and prior performance in office
20 of 26
Short-term factors
Factors that have a short-term influence on voters.
21 of 26
Social structures model
A voting model that emphasises the influence of social factors (i.e. social class, ethnicity, occupation and gender) on electoral outcomes
22 of 26
Swing
A measure in the movement of votes from one party to another between two consecutive elections
23 of 26
Tactical voting
Where an individual votes for a candidate who isn't the preferred candidate to prevent the least preferred from being elected
24 of 26
Turnout
The percentage of registered voters who cast a ballot in a given election
25 of 26
Voting context model
Where the behaviour of voters is affected by the nature of the election being contested, the importance of the resulting institution and the workings of the electoral system in operation
26 of 26

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Passivity or indifference (can result in a low turnout)

Back

Apathy

Card 3

Front

Where significant changes to party allegiance is masked by a small headline swing

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

The correlation between social class and voting behaviour

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

The power is in the people

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Government & Politics resources:

See all Government & Politics resources »See all People, Politics and Participation resources »