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ISSUES: Citizenship
Chapter 3: Politics in the UK
Unskilled workers and the long-
term unemployed
Most studies of political disengagement
use the ‘social grade’ classification
system that distinguishes between
people on the basis of their occupation.
The grades are defined in the Audit.
Attitudes
The Hansard Society Audit found 62%
of people in the C2DE social grades felt
that “our democratic system does not
address the interests of myself and my
family very well or at all”, compared to
53% of those in the social grades ABC1.
The Audit also found that renters are
more likely to consider democracy
unresponsive to their interests (63%)
than homeowners (54%).
Political activities
Evidence also suggests that people
from social grades DE are least likely to
have participated in political activities,
or to do so if they feel strongly about
an issue.
Electoral registration
People from the DE social grades were
less likely to be included on the 2014
electoral registers than people from
other grades. People’s housing situation
was found to have a significant effect,
as shown in a table in the Audit. Private
renters tend to move house more often
and the Electoral Commission suggests
mobility is an important driver of low
levels of registration.
Voting
People in the DE social grades are least
likely to vote: 57% were estimated
to have voted at the 2015 general
election, compared to 75% in the AB
social grades; 69% of those in the C1
social grade; and 62% of those in the C2
social grade.
Councillors, candidates, MPs
There is little information available on
the social background of councillors,
candidates and MPs. However, the 2013
Census of Local Authority Councillors
noted that 58.8% of councillors
were educated to degree level (or
equivalent), while 13% were educated
to GCE A-level (or equivalent) and 11.2%
to GSCE level (or equivalent). 5.2% of
councillors had no qualifications.
Women
Attitudes
Polling evidence suggests women are
less likely to be satisfied with the political
system than men. When asked “howwell
do you think democracy in Britain as a
whole addresses the interests of people
like you”, men and women gave similar
answers.
However, men were more likely than
women to answer “not well at all” (19%of
men, 12%of women), while women were
more likely to answer “don’t know” (6%of
men, 13% of women).
Political activities
The Hansard Society’s Audit of Political
Engagement shows that women were
also less likely thanmen to have engaged
in political activities, and to say they
would do so if they felt strongly about an
issue.
Electoral registration
The Electoral Commission reported that
women were slightly more likely to be
on the February/March 2014 electoral
registers than men (85.8% of women,
83.6% of men). In April 2011 this was 87%
of women compared to 85.1% of men.
Voting
Surveys suggest men were slightly more
likely to vote than women (but only by
one to three percentage points) in the
past four elections.
Councillors, candidates, MPs
In 2013, 32% of local authority councillors
in England were women. In the North
East (41%), in Scotland (24%), in Wales
(26%) and Northern Ireland (23%).
191 women MPs were elected at the
2015 General Election, 29% of all MPs.
Just over 35% of members in the Scottish
Parliament arewomen, comparedto two-
fifths of members of National Assembly
for Wales. Following the 2014 European
Parliament elections, women comprised
just over two-fifths of UK MEPs.
Peoplewith disabilities
Political activities
The Equality and Human Rights
Commission found that in 2013/2014,
there was no significant difference
between the proportions of people with
(31.7%) and without (29.7%) disabilities
who had engaged in one or more of four
political activities in the last 12 months.
Electoral registration
People with physical disabilities were
more likely to be on the electoral register
than any other group. The Electoral
Commission suggests this might be
because they are less likely to move
home, andmobility is an important driver
of low levels of registration.
A small-scale study of patients in
psychiatric wards in Westminster found
that only 43% of patients had registered
to vote for the 2010 General Election,
compared to 97% of the local eligible
population. Of those registered to vote,
only 33% had voted.
Voting
The charity Mencap claims that only one-
third of people with learning disabilities
in the UK vote. While no other data is
available on turnout among people with
disabilities in the UK, a 2002 study of
voting among disabled people in the US
showed that 52.6% of respondents with
disabilities reported they had voted in
the 1998 election, compared to 59.4% of
respondents without disabilities.
Councillors, candidates, MPs
The 2013 Census of Local Authority
Councillors reported that 13.2% of
councillors had “a long-term health
problem or disability”. The Disability
News Service reported in 2015 that there
were two MPs who self-reported as
having a disability.
Overseas voters
The Government does not keep track of
citizens living abroad, so no information
is available on their attitudes and levels
of participation in political activities. It is
difficult to calculate the total number of
people who would be eligible to register
as overseas voters.
The Political and Constitutional Reform
Committee in its 2014 report on Voter
engagement in the UK estimated that
less than 1% of British citizens living
abroad were registered to vote.
26 February 2016
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The above information is reprinted
with kind permission from the
House of Commons Library. Please
visit researchbriefings.parliament.uk
for further information.
©House of Commons Library 2017
