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Title:
Gender and the Vote in Britain, 2007
(Gender and Voting Behaviour in Britain)

Subject Categories:
Political behaviour and attitudes - Politics
Gender roles - Social stratification and groupings

Depositor(s):
Campbell, R., Birkbeck College, University of London. Department of Politics

Principal Investigator(s):
Campbell, R., Birkbeck College, University of London. Department of Politics

Data Collector(s):
YouGov plc

Sponsor(s):
Economic and Social Research Council

Grant Number:
RES-000-22-1857

Other Acknowledgements:
Kristi Winters, Department of Government, University of Essex, undertook a special project on survey measurement and helped with questionnaire design.

Abstract:
It has been demonstrated that gender has a subtle and pervasive influence upon attitudes and behaviour that should be included in any comprehensive model of vote choice. This study was designed to provide further understanding of the way gender effects political attitudes and voting behaviour.

The survey was administered to 6,000 members of the YouGov internet survey panel. In total, 2,890 people responded to the survey. Yougov's weighting variable (encompassing age, gender, social class, region, newspaper readership and past vote) is included in the dataset.

The dataset includes the usual measures of political attitudes such as left/right position, socialist/laissez-faire position, liberal/authoritarianism, egalitarianism and partisanship. Also included are psychological measures of gendered attributes, which is very unusual for political science data, and permits an analysis that looks beyond biological sex and considers the social construction of gender. The dataset also includes basic demographic measures, alongside measures of parenthood and caring responsibilities, which allow a detailed analysis of how the realities of people's lives impact upon their political attitudes and behaviour.

Further information about the study can be found on the ESRC award page and the project web page.
Main Topics:
Respondents were asked about their interest in politics, partisan identification, vote choice and general political attitudes. The dataset also includes basic demographic measures, as well as measures of parenthood and caring responsibilities, and psychological measures of gendered attributes.

A number of the items on the questionnaire were measured on five-point Likert scales.

Coverage:
Dates of Fieldwork: 30 January 2007-05 February 2007
Country: Great Britain
Spatial Units: Government Office Regions (GORs)
Observation Units: Individuals
Kind of Data: Numeric data; Individual (micro) level

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:National
Population:Adults (18 or over) eligible to vote in Great Britain in 2007

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Cross-sectional (one-time) study
Sampling Procedures: Volunteer sample
A random sample was taken from YouGov's panel of respondents
Number of Units: 2,890 individuals
Method of Data Collection: Self-completion; Email survey
Weighting: Weighting variable in data. No further information available

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: 3 November 2009

Copyright:
Copyright R. Campbell

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