Abstract
Voting is a political act. A simple point but one that can easily disappear in the welter of analyses linking electoral choice to social causes. Further, the influence of purely political factors such as party leaders and political debate is increasing as traditional class and party loyalties weaken and more votes come up for grabs. While the social structure influences levels of party support, a number of other factors produce increasing variations around these levels. These other factors are the subject of this chapter. We begin with three factors which are important between elections as well as at election time — the economy, the media and the politicians. We then turn to influences which peak at election time: these are the impact of the campaign itself and the role played by canvassing, money and opinion polls.
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© 1987 Martin Harrop and William L. Miller
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Harrop, M., Miller, W.L. (1987). The Responsive Voter: Short-term Influences on Voting Behaviour. In: Elections and Voters. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-18912-0_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-18912-0_8
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