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Title:
Constituency Campaigning in the 1997 General Election

Subject Categories:
Election and campaign studies - Politics

Depositor(s):
Denver, D.T., Lancaster University. Department of Politics and International Relations

Principal Investigator(s):
Denver, D.T., Lancaster University. Department of Politics and International Relations
Hands, G., Lancaster University. Department of Politics and International Relations

Sponsor(s):
Economic and Social Research Council

Grant Number:
R000222027

Abstract:
Over the last decade, there has been a renewal of interest in, and revaluation of, the effects of local constituency campaigning on the part of both academics and political parties. From the 1950s to the 1980s, as campaigning became more 'nationalised' - dominated by party leaders and focused almost exclusively on the national mass media - local constituency campaigns came to be seen as rather meaningless side-shows. During the 1980s, however, a significant 'revisionist' literature appeared, suggesting that effective and intense constituency campaigning could have a significant impact in terms of improved electoral performance by the parties and, partly as a consequence of this, the parties themselves have recently placed much more emphasis on local campaigning.
Three studies have been conducted in this series so far and are currently available from the UK Data Archive (UKDA). These cover the 1992 election (held under SN:3587), the 1997 election (SN:3922) and the 2001 election (SN:4508).

For the second study in the series, conducted after the 1997 general election, the principal investigators aimed to monitor changes in campaign techniques, develop further an index of campaign strength and to analyse the impact of variations in campaign intensity upon constituency election results.
Main Topics:
The dataset comprises the responses to a postal survey of election agents of the major parties - Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Scottish National Party (SNP) and Plaid Cymru - in 1997. The questionnaire was concerned with campaign preparations, organisation and activity and details of polling-day operations.

Coverage:
Time Period Covered: March 1997-May 1997
Dates of Fieldwork: 2 May 1997-30 September 1997
Country: Great Britain
Spatial Units: (A)Parliamentary Constituencies; (B)Standard Regions
Observation Units: Individuals; Institutions/organisations
Kind of Data: Alpha/numeric data; Individual (micro) level

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:National
Population:Units studied are the constituency organisations of the major political parties. Responses to the questionnaire were sought from election agents, or persons who ran the parties' 1997 general election campaigns, in individual Parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Repeated cross-sectional study
surveys took place after the 1992, 1997 and 2001 general elections.
Sampling Procedures: No sampling (total universe)
Number of Units: 2029 (target) 1382 (obtained)
Method of Data Collection: Postal survey

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions for further information.
Availability: ESDS Access and Preservation, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: help@esds.ac.uk

Date of Release:
First Edition: 17 August 1999

Copyright:
Copyright D. Denver and G. Hands

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