Kurzkommentar |
The Brexit process has transformed British politics in many respects: a rise of new ‘Brexit identities’ among voters; a prolonged confrontation between different visions of future UK-EU relations; a fundamental realignment of parties’ orientation and voters’ behaviour; the dominance of a renewed Conservative Party under Boris Johnson; a large impact on many key areas of policymaking; and a new controversial status for Northern Ireland. This module explores how voters think and vote in post-Brexit Britain through an analysis of the original data of the British Election Study (BES) Internet Panel. After an introduction to the methodology used to survey and study public opinion, the lectures analyse the results of the 2019 general election and the impact on voting behaviour of major explanatory variables: past voting, partisan identities, Brexit identities, class, religion, gender, ethnic and national identities, socio-economic values, cultural values, attitudes on policy issues, perceived competence of parties and leaders, economic voting, and tactical voting. Students will learn how to carry out a descriptive analysis of survey data using a statistical software (SPSS Statistics) and how to interpret the reliability and meaning of the results. Assessment takes the form of an (ungraded) oral presentation on a variable of their own choosing. You receive 5 ECTS for this seminar. |