Theories of Voting Behaviour The Dominant Ideology Model

Success Criteria – I can… What you will learn… Success Criteria – I can… Describe the Dominant Ideology Model of voting behaviour Explain why the Dominant Ideology model can be questioned Describe the Dominant Ideology Model of voting behaviour

Disclaimer This is a radical theory of voting behaviour It is up to you to decided how valid (or not) it is based on evidence It could be argued that it is somewhat of a conspiracy theory Your political views will very likely shape how much importance you place on this model

Definition Put forward as a model of voting behaviour by Dunleavy and Husbands in 1985 They argued that an individual’s choices are influenced by how the media portrays a particular aspect of politics

Definition It’s a belief that newspapers (and to a certain extent television) distort political communication and therefore mislead individuals to what the media feel is more prominent and what should be the topic of debate The media, therefore has a heavy influence on how and who the public vote for

Memory Aid The DOMINANT ideology is the ideology of the DOMINANT class

In the dominant ideology model of voting behaviour it is argued that the mass media [and in particular the press] have traditionally been supportive of Conservative political opinion. Dominant ideological messages such as the benefits to capitalism, private property, democracy and individualism and are put forward by institutions such as the mass media, the government, business interests, political parties and their leaders. This would make sense since the majority of media outlets are a private companies looking after their own interests!

Together these institutions are structured in such a way as to provide an unequal competition between the political parties, with the Conservatives at an advantage. Alternative ideological messages such as those supporting more government ownership (such as Socialist points of view) will find it very difficult to penetrate the mainstream media. Is Jeremy Corbyn bullied by the press? Right Wing Opinions?

Media’s Influence The media can edit and change what is really trying to be said by the political parties to the viewer/voters, this is known as ‘spin’. This may influence the voters to change their votes or to vote for the party that the media supports. The era of class and party de-alignment also means that more and more voters can be swayed by the media.

One could therefore say that it is a conspiracy theory as the voters’ choice is being manipulated by those in power using the mass media.   LSE analysis of Corbyn and the Media

Press Bias Many newspapers may favour a political party and this may be portrayed in their context either by supporting the political party or critiquing the opposing parties. In Britain many adults will read a daily newspaper and a Sunday newspaper, during the 1990s the newspapers tended to support the Conservatives.

The Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Telegraph and the Sun were very against Labour and for the Conservatives. However after Tony Blair’s new Labour campaign it reversed this in 1997 up until 2005. Bias behaviour is important as in a society that has de-alignment, more voters should be persuaded to vote and this may lead to more media influence.

However the effect of media bias is difficult to measure as there are other variables such as age, status, family that may influence a person’s vote.

Media Manipulation All political parties will try to manipulate the ways in which political affairs are reported in the media. Supporters of the Dominant Ideology Theory will see that with the aid of mass media they are able to influence the attitudes and behaviours of the public.

An example of this was during the 1980’s when the Conservatives maintained power by creating a ‘rising economic optimism’. The Conservative government successfully managed to manipulate the media and the economy leaving the voters optimistic. Before the 1987 general election evidence suggested that the government had adjusted calculations of economic statistics and pressurized the BBC in an attempt to manipulate the news and the economy.

Although the media did provide enough enthusiasm for the Conservative Party to maintain that lead through the 80s and into the 90s, in 1997, the landslide victory of the Labour party questions the validity of the Dominant Ideology Theory. It could be argued that rather than the media, the Labour Party itself has shifted in terms of their attitudes and policies – especially with New Labour.

Questions Summarise the Dominant Ideology model Explain why the media (in particular, the press) can be influential over voters. Why might some political analysts suggest this is a conspiracy theory? Explain why the Dominant Ideology can be questioned.