Voting habits by age, gender and ethnicity

Age: Traditionally younger people have voted for the Labour Party and this is a trend that sticks to the present day. In the 2005 election the Conservatives attracted the largest number of votes from the over-55s.

Gender: Historically most women have voted Conservative, although in the 2005 elections this trend reversed. In the 2010 elections men were more likely than women to vote for the conservatives. On average women are less likely to stay loyal to a particular party.

Ethnicity: British Asian and black communities have always been more likely to vote for the Labour Party, although the percentage of Labour votes coming from this direction is getting smaller.

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Voting habits by social class

The Conservative and the Labour Party are the two dominant political parties in the UK. The Conservatives place more emphasis on the responsibility of the individual in providing for his or her own welfare. The Labour Party place more emphasis on the state in terms of looking after the welfare of the population.

Traditionally the middle classes, who own a greater share of the nation’s wealth, have voted for the Conservatives. Labour, on the other hand, has traditionally been supported by the working classes. In more recent years, however, class has been less important in influencing the way people vote. This is what is known as class dealignment.

Despite this, however, in the 2005 election the upper and lower-middle classes were still more likely to vote for the Conservatives, although in recent years some of the middle classes switched their loyalty over to the Liberal Democrats, which explains the hung parliament result in the 2010 election.

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