Why do people vote as they do? Indeed, why do they vote at all? What do they think about elections and democracy? This book addresses these questions by focusing on the explanatory power of rival sociological and 'individual rationality' models.

Shows that judgment of party competence is at the heart of electoral choice in contemporary Britain.

This title is a revised and extended replacement for the same author's text on Elections and Voting Behaviour in Britain in the same series. The book provides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of electoral politics today and of its evolution in the post war period. Two entirely new chapters focus on electoral reform and on the main theoretical approaches to the study of elections and voting.

This book examines the behaviour of political parties in situations where they experience conflict between two or more important objectives.

Studies of the influence of class and religion on politics often point to their gradual decline as a result of social change. Backed up by extensive evidence from 11 case studies and a 15-country pooled analysis, the editors argue instead that the supply of choices by parties influences the extent of class divisions: political choice matters.

How do voters in Britain decide which party to vote for in elections? Why do smaller parties get more support than they used to? How do the mass media influence political opinions? The authors examine these and other questions in the third edition of this popular text. They trace the evolution of the British electorate over the post-war period, and focus in particular on recent elections – from Labour's victories in the 2000s through to the hung parliament of 2010. As well as examining and explaining theories of party choice – including the view that voters' evaluations of government performance and party leaders are now the key determinants of election outcomes – the authors also devote separate chapters to turnout trends and patterns, electoral systems and the geography of party support. Campaigning, opinion polls and the mass media are also considered. Fully revised, the text incorporates the latest research on elections and voting behaviour, and includes analysis of recent trends and developments – including how 'new media' are affecting election campaigning.