How has class inequality in elections grown? This article explores three hypotheses: policy indifference, policy alienation, and social alienation. British Election Data (1964-2010) shows working-class voters increasingly abstain.
Key Findings:
- Policy indifference is less significant than expected factors in explaining turnout gaps.
- Social and political alienation are major drivers of the growing class divide in participation.
- Crucially, declining representation by MPs from working backgrounds strongly correlates with rising worker abstention rates.
This research highlights that changes in political elites can profoundly impact their constituents' engagement.
