Why do people vote the way they do, and how do campaigns affect them?
The factors that influence voting behaviour, including social class, age, gender, geography, partisanship and the media, and how election campaigns and the conduct of campaigns shape how people vote.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on the influences on voting behaviour, covering the long-term factors of class, age, gender, geography and partisanship, the rise of dealignment and issue voting, and how election campaigns, the media, TV debates, manifestos and social media shape how people vote.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain the factors that influence how people vote and to analyse how election campaigns shape voting behaviour. This covers long-term influences such as social class, age, gender, geography and party loyalty, the trend of dealignment and issue voting, and the short-term influence of the media, leaders' debates, manifestos, opinion polls and social media. It is a common -mark essay and the basis for "to what extent" judgements.
The answer
Long-term influences: class and dealignment
Age, gender and geography
Partisanship and new alignments
New cleavages have replaced some of the old ones. Voting now aligns strongly with Brexit position (Leave versus Remain) and, in Scotland, with constitutional preference (Yes versus No to independence). These identity-based divides cut across class and explain much of the recent volatility.
Short-term influences: the campaign
Examples in context
The UK general election shows several influences at once: a clear age gradient in YouGov data, continued class dealignment as Labour advanced across most social groups, the cost-of-living crisis and NHS waiting lists dominating issue voting, and heavy use of targeted social media and short-form video. The Scottish Parliament election shows the constitutional cleavage: party support correlated strongly with Yes or No to independence, with younger voters more pro-SNP and Green and older voters more pro-Union. Comparing the two lets a Higher answer demonstrate that long-term identity factors and short-term campaign factors operate together.
Try this
Q1. Describe what is meant by class dealignment. [4 marks]
- Cue. The long-term weakening of the link between social class and party support, so fewer working-class voters automatically back Labour and fewer middle-class voters automatically back the Conservatives.
Q2. Explain two ways an election campaign can influence how people vote. [6 marks]
- Cue. TV debates shape perceptions of leaders' competence, and micro-targeted social media adverts reach specific age groups and marginal seats; manifestos and partisan media also set the agenda and frame the issues.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher 201920 marksTo what extent does social class remain the most important influence on voting behaviour?Show worked answer →
A -mark essay: up to marks for knowledge and understanding and up to for analysis, evaluation, structure and a sustained conclusion.
KU marks come from describing the influences accurately. The traditional model linked the working class (C2DE) to Labour and the middle class (ABC1) to the Conservatives, but class dealignment since the 1970s has weakened this link. Evidence should show that by and age was a stronger predictor than class, for example YouGov finding younger voters favouring Labour and older voters the Conservatives.
Analysis and evaluation marks come from weighing class against age, the media and short-term campaign factors. A sustained judgement, for example that class still matters but no longer dominates because issue voting and age now cut across it, lifts the answer into the top band.
SQA Higher 202212 marksAnalyse the influence of the media and election campaigns on voting behaviour.Show worked answer →
A -mark analysis question, roughly half KU and half analysis. Markers reward developed explanation of how campaigns and the media shape voters rather than a list of factors.
KU should cover both traditional media (partisan newspapers, TV leaders' debates) and new media (targeted social media adverts, viral clips), with examples such as the "Get Brexit Done" slogan in or short-form video used to reach young voters in .
Analysis marks come from explaining the mechanisms: agenda setting, framing, bandwagon effects from opinion polls and micro-targeting of marginal seats. A judgement on how much campaigns actually change votes, given that many voters are already aligned, is the discriminator.
Related dot points
- The voting systems used in Scotland and the UK, including First Past the Post and the Additional Member System, their advantages and disadvantages, and how they affect representation and government formation.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on representation and voting systems, comparing First Past the Post used at Westminster with the Additional Member System used for the Scottish Parliament, their advantages and disadvantages, and how each shapes proportionality, government formation and voter choice.
- The role of the traditional and new media in democracy, how the media informs and influences voters and politics, debates about bias and ownership, and the impact of social media on participation.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on the media and democracy, covering the role of traditional and new media, how the media informs and influences voters, debates about ownership and bias, and the impact of social media on political participation.
- The ways citizens participate in democracy beyond voting, including joining parties and pressure groups, the difference between insider and outsider groups, the methods pressure groups use, and the factors that make them effective.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on political participation and pressure groups, covering ways citizens take part beyond voting, the difference between insider and outsider groups, the methods groups use to influence decisions, and the factors that determine how effective a pressure group is.
- The place of Scotland within the UK and alternatives for its governance, including the status quo, further devolution and independence, the 2014 referendum, the powers of the Scotland Act 2016, and the implications of leaving the EU.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on the place of Scotland within the UK and the alternatives for its governance, covering the 2014 independence referendum, the status quo, further devolution under the Scotland Act 2016, the case for and against independence, the 2022 Supreme Court ruling and the implications of Brexit.
- The structure of the Scottish Parliament, the role of MSPs and the First Minister, how Bills become law, and the committee system that scrutinises the Scottish Government.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on the Scottish Parliament, covering its structure at Holyrood, the role of MSPs, the First Minister and the Scottish Government, how a Bill becomes an Act through the three stages, and how committees scrutinise and hold ministers to account.
Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Modern Studies Course Specification — SQA (2018)
- How Britain voted in the 2024 general election — YouGov (2024)