Media Influence

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Changing Media & Opinion Polls

The media influences voting behaviour through television, newspapers and the radio.

The internet has played an increasingly important role in UK politics.
Over 82% of households have internet access, which has led to more online media and online newspapers.
MPs and political parties have used the internet more to connect with voters.
- MPs have their own websites where they outline the work and activities they have been involved in and look to communicate with voters.
- By the 2024 General Election, online campaigning had become central, with parties using data analytics, online videos, and digital news platforms to shape voter perception and mobilisation.

Television remains important for providing information and news to voters, with the televised election debates in 2017 watched by millions of people.
- Research by the Electoral Reform Society stated that a BBC Question Time Leaders’ show, where both leaders spoke on TV and answered questions, reportedly helped 34% of voters to decide who to vote for.
However, by the 2024 General Election, television had become less dominant in shaping voting behaviour.

Newspapers include politically aligned titles such as The Daily Telegraph (Conservative-leaning) and The Guardian (Labour-leaning).
Historically, newspapers played a major role in shaping public opinion and reinforcing party loyalty.
- For example, Tony Blair used Alastair Campbell as press secretary to manage media relations and shape positive coverage of New Labour.
By the 2024 general election, newspapers had significantly declined in their influence in favour of digital media and online platforms.

Opinion polls look to determine how citizens will vote in elections.
Opinion polls are important in UK elections, with parties valuing their findings and conducting their own opinion polls.
The exit poll asks voters who they have voted after leaving the polling station and is released on the night of the election results.

Opinion polls have been inaccurate in past general elections, such as 2015 when it failed to predict that the Conservatives would win an overall majority.
- Reasons include ‘shy Tories’ who vote for the Conservatives but do not publicly admit to supporting them and the ‘boomerang effect’ where voters who saw Labour leading in the polls and did not support them turned out to vote.
The 2024 general election reinforced improvements in polling accuracy overall.
Polling firms include Survation, Ipsos MORI and YouGov.

Media coverage may favour certain parties over others and influence the public on who to vote for.

The media can influence voting behaviour; however, the media alone is rarely a strong enough factor on its own to change how people vote.
- The media often confirms people’s own political views as voters read papers that reflect their own political beliefs.
The media does play a role because it can shape the political agenda through the way it covers issues and focuses on certain issues over others.

The winning party at the most recent general elections has often been supported by a majority of newspapers, with most major national papers supporting the Conservatives in 2010, 2015 and 2017.
In 1992, the Sun published a headline against Labour leader Neil Kinnock on the day of the election, which stated, ‘If Kinnock wins today, will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights’.

Television can have an important role in influencing people’s impressions and opinions of party leaders.
- Televised debates influenced opinion polls in the 2010 election in favour of Nick Clegg.
However, television rarely changes the political attitudes of voters and is more likely to reinforce their views as people watch information which aligns with their own views.

Newspapers are partisan and biased in favour of certain parties and will support some parties whilst criticising others.
Newspapers may change their allegiance depending on a party’s ideology and also changing circumstances.
- The Sun supported the Conservatives in the 2010 general election, however, supported Tony Blair in 1997 and supported Margaret Thatcher in 1979 because of her policies to weaken trade unions which suited the business interests of the paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch.

Television has more neutral coverage than newspapers.
- Parties are given agreed amounts of time for televised election broadcasts.
- Most tv channels are committed to being politically neutral under Ofcom regulations.

By the 2024 general election, media bias had shifted from newspapers to digital platforms.
Traditional newspapers still show partisan leanings but have less electoral impact. - Social media algorithms can amplify biased or emotional content.
Political messaging is increasingly shaped by TikTok, YouTube and targeted advertising.
- Targeted advertising creates “algorithmic bias”, where users see content reinforcing existing views rather than balanced news.