How changing demography drives electoral change
Furlong, Jamie and Jennings, Will 2024. How changing demography drives electoral change. in: The Changing Electoral Map of England and Wales Oxford University Press. pp. 37-61
Furlong, Jamie and Jennings, Will 2024. How changing demography drives electoral change. in: The Changing Electoral Map of England and Wales Oxford University Press. pp. 37-61
| Chapter title | How changing demography drives electoral change |
|---|---|
| Authors | Furlong, Jamie and Jennings, Will |
| Abstract | This chapter sets out the mechanisms that have changed Britain’s electoral geography in recent decades. We argue that the combination of changes in the geographical distribution of voters and changes in the parties’ appeal to those voters (impacting individual voting behaviour) has transformed the electoral map. We detail long-term trends in social and economic structure that have significantly altered the composition of electorates in different places: deindustrialization, higher education expansion, agglomeration, rising immigration, and ageing. The chapter draws an important distinction between areas that are ‘left behind’ according to their demographic makeup, economic deprivation, or precarious employment. We proceed to show how the sociodemographic and economic profile of constituencies in England and Wales has changed between 1979 and 2019, how the policy positions of parties have changed over the same period, and changes in the groups of voters the parties have tended to attract. |
| Book title | The Changing Electoral Map of England and Wales |
| Page range | 37-61 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Publication dates | |
| Published in print | 20 Jun 2024 |
| ISBN | 9780198927082 |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1093/9780191943331.003.0002 |