A recent study has revealed that the upcoming election is predicted to be the most disparate in six decades due to a widening disparity in voter participation influenced by factors such as age, income, socioeconomic status, homeownership, and ethnicity.
According to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a think tank with a centre-left perspective, the difference in voter turnout between social groups was insignificant in the 1960s. However, by 2010, this gap had widened to 18 percentage points between the highest-earning group – who tend to vote more – and the lowest-earning group.
The difference between homeowners, who were more inclined to vote, and renters is 23 points. Additionally, there is a 15-point difference between individuals with a college degree and those without one. Those aged 61 and older, who were more likely to vote, had a 28-point advantage over 18-24-year-olds.
According to the IPPR, 90% of individuals in the highest income bracket participated in the last two general elections, while only 70% from the lowest income bracket did so.
The bottom third of earners were about three times more likely to say it is not worth voting than the top third, while renters are also more than twice as likely as homeowners to say the same.
The research also examined individuals who have interacted with politicians, discovering that 33% of university graduates have directly communicated with a politician, while only 14% of those without degrees have done so.
The research did not examine which political party, the Conservatives or Labour, gains the most from the difference in voter turnout. However, it was found that older individuals tend to vote for the Conservative party rather than Labour.
According to Dr. Parth Patel, a senior fellow at IPPR, one result of this is that government policies are more focused on meeting the needs of older, wealthier individuals and those with higher levels of education.
“In our democracy, there are clear disparities in the amount of influence individuals have. The policies implemented tend to cater more to the wealthy rather than the disadvantaged, and this is a known fact. However, it appears to be overlooked by most politicians.”
“Our democratic system requires an overhaul, regardless of who is in charge. In order for individuals to truly have agency and feel protected, they must feel empowered in the process of collective decision-making that is democracy.”
According to Patel, the significant impact of wealthier individuals is a possible factor in understanding the increasing disparity in UK politics, as those with lower incomes tend to be more in favor of equalizing resources.
According to the IPPR, the issues were exacerbated by a clustering of affluent individuals with higher education levels in party memberships, political donors, and career politicians.
The article stated that the proportion of Members of Parliament from working-class backgrounds has decreased at a rate twice as fast as the percentage of the population in similar occupations.
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According to estimates from IPPR, only 7% of Members of Parliament can be classified as working class, while 34% of adults of working age fall into this category.
According to the research, the UK may be headed towards a negative cycle where policies are becoming increasingly detached from the concerns of citizens, leading to a rise in populism and a growing lack of trust in democracy.
In response to this issue, it suggests implementing a fresh series of changes to the constitution in order to distribute power and impact throughout the UK. This is crucial for overall improvement in living standards and life expectancy.
Countries have increased voter participation in elections through methods such as mandatory voting, automatic voter registration, weekend voting, and mobile polling stations.
Unfortunately, the UK has placed little importance on constitutional reform due to the challenges of passing amendments through both the House of Commons and Lords. In 2011, the coalition government of Tories and Lib Dems attempted to hold a referendum on altering the voting system, but ultimately did not receive enough support for any modifications. Additionally, their efforts to reform the House of Lords were also abandoned.
Keir Starmer’s Labour has said it wants to replace the House of Lords but this is not expected to be an immediate priority, with smaller steps on reducing its size and changing its makeup more likely. The party does not support changing the voting system, but it supports the Gordon Brown commission’s aims of devolving power, wealth and opportunity throughout the country, as well as cleaning up standards and ethics in Westminster.
Starmer stated that the Brown commission report, released one year prior, emphasized the importance of political changes such as eliminating the House of Lords in order to revamp the British economy. He expressed that the report’s main focus was on acknowledging the shortcomings of both politics and the economy and taking steps to repair them.
Source: theguardian.com
