Deck 5: How Citizens Vote

Question 1

Which of these is NOT an implication of cleavage theory as promoted by Lipset and Rokkan?

A) Cleavages arise from social structural characteristics such as class, religion and geography.
B) Voters should switch parties infrequently.
C) Voters support the party that most closely represents their own policy position.
D) Working class voters are expected to vote for communist, socialist or social democratic parties.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The analysis of European Parliament elections can inform us about how institutional differences influence voting. But which of the following is NOT something we learn by analysing EP elections?

A) Governing parties on the national level lose the most votes in European elections at the midpoint of their governing cycle.
B) Eurosceptic voters are more likely to switch party allegiance between national and European elections than pro-EU voters.
C) Voter defection from national parties is more prevalent after campaigns with explicitly Eurosceptic campaigning.
D) Patterns of voting behaviour in EP elections are indistinguishable from those in national elections.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following explanations is not presented by political scientists as a reason for turning out at elections

A) Citizens receive some amount of benefit from fulfilling their civic duty.
B) Voters use short-cuts such as partisanship to decrease the costs of voting.
C) Politicians motivate citizens to go out and vote.
D) In large elections each and every vote is important to the outcome of the election, and voters are aware of this.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

According to Evans and Tilley, what is the main reason why vote choice in the UK today is less tied to class identification than before?

A) Labour shifted away from its core voting bloc under Tony Blair.
B) Classes are less homogenous now than they previously-.
C) Many workers in sectors that traditionally voted Labour have lost their job.
D) Labour lost power in 2010 to the Conservatives.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about electoral volatility is FALSE?

A) Electoral volatility has consistently been higher on average in European elections than in national elections.
B) Electoral volatility can stem from parties losing and winning vote share or from entering and exiting the electoral arena.
C) Most of the electoral volatility in Eastern Europe comes from big swings in vote shares between the major, existing parties.
D) In recent years, electoral volatility has increased in Europe.