BLOG 2 Inequalities and Political Engagement

This blog will focus on the distinctive differences in political engagement in regards to social class. It will primarily aim to observe the levels of voting in elections between different social classes. In particular, it will help us to understand how identifying with a lower socioeconomic status plays a role in the decreasing levels of political engagement in comparison to those who are from a higher socioeconomic class. In addition, it will also attempt to provide an explanation as to why there is a significant difference in turnout between different social classes.

As the aim of this blog is to focus on social class, it is therefore important to acknowledge what is meant by this term. Social class is something that can be described as a group of individuals who identify with a similar status, frequently sharing comparable levels of power and wealth (Chegg, n.d.). However, social class is not reliant on birth but on other factors such as education and employment. For example, an individual that is born into a low-income family can gain higher status through their education or occupation (Chegg, n.d.). In the United Kingdom, six different social classes have been identified, each with their individual unique physiognomies, with majority of the population falling under the social grades, B, C1 and C2.

 Figure 1 : Social classes in the United Kingdom

An individual’s socio economic background significantly affects political engagement and has been perceived as an increasing disadvantage within the United Kingdom. This was conveyed in the 2015 elections where there was a difference of 20% regarding the amount of people that voted amongst the highest and lowest social groups (Ipsos Mori, 2015).

Figure 2: Graph of results from 2015 election turnouts by social class (Ipsos MORI 2015)

Figure 2 above suggests that there is a difference in turnout between the social grades AB and DE, with AB having a higher turnout in comparison to the social grades DE. This constituted of approximately 58% of individuals voting from the lower social economic background – DE, whereas higher social economic backgrounds such as AB had a turnout of 75%. Overall, there was a 17% difference in turnout between the highest and lowest socio economic background (Ipsos MORI, 2015).

This finding is imperative as it suggests that those who belong to socio economic background AB are more likely to have a higher turnout than those identifying with DE. As shown in figure 1, AB makes up 27% of the population whereas DE only makes up 23%, this further suggests that the socio economic background AB have a higher chance of their party winning the election. This can be supported by the 2015 general elections, it was reported that 75% of individuals that identify with AB voted for Conservative whereas 57% of DE voted for Labour and the successful party was Conservatives (Ipsos MORI, 2017). Moreover, the European Union Referendum also supports the idea that those belonging to a lower social grade are less likely to engage with politics and the elections. It was reported that the socio economic background AB had a turnout of 79%, whereas CB had a turnout of 65%. These findings showcase the argument that individuals who identify themselves as belonging to a higher socio economic background are more likely to contribute to the elections in comparison to individuals who are from a lower socio economic background (Ipsos MORI 2016).

There are many reasons as to why there is a difference in turnout amongst different socio economic backgrounds. One of the main reasons, as argued by Verba et al (1995), is that individuals who belong to the socio economic grades of C2 and DE believe their votes will not make a difference and this leads to them not participating. This is due to the fact that people from a lower social background tend to spend most of their time working and trying to obtain financial stability which as a result, means that they do not have the time to follow up on political views and any elections taking place.

A further reason why individuals from a lower socio economic background are less likely to engage with politics is because they tend to have lower levels of academic attainment in comparison to those individuals in higher social grades such as AB and C1 (Laurison, 2016). This also supports work by Verba et al (2003) who analyzed the relationship between individual’s political activity and the political environment of their household. Verba et al (2003) found that individuals who grew up in a household that was politically active were more likely to be engaged with politics than those who had lower levels of political activity at home; they were also more likely to identify with higher levels of education.

Figure 3: Educational trajectories and inequalities of political engagement

Figure 3 supports contemporary research that suggests levels of education has a direct impact on political engagement. This graph shows that there is a 62% chance of individuals voting who have a level 2 higher academic GCSE qualification whereas those with a level 2 vocational qualification have a 44% chance. Students who undertake a vocational pathway, usually come from a lower social background (Hoskins and Janmaat 2016).

In conclusion, social class has a huge impact on an individual’s level of political engagement. Those who belong to a lower social class tend to engage with political activity less than those from a higher class

Bibliography

Chegg. (n.d.). Social Class Lesson. [online] Available at: https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/definitions/social-class-49 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2019].

Hoskins, B. and Janmaat, J.G., 2016. Educational trajectories and inequalities of political engagement among adolescents in England. Social science research, 56, pp.73-89

Ipsos MORI. (2015). How Britain Voted in 2015. Available: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2015?view=wide (accessed 4^th march 2019)

Ipsos MORI (2016) How Britain Voted in 2016 EU Referendum. Available: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2016-eu-referendum 

Ipsos MIRO (2017). How Britain voted in 2017 election. Available: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2017-election

Laurison, D. (2016). Social Class and Political Engagement in the United States. Sociology Compass. 10 (8), 684-69. Available from: https://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=e66ce2dd-abd7-4bb7-883a-80980648f7d0%40sessionmgr120&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGF0aGVucyZzaXRlPWVkcy1saXZl#db=edswss&AN=000380899700004 Accessed: 3rd March 2018

Verba, S. Scholzman, K.L. Brady, H.E. (1996) Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. London: Harvard University Press