School of Social and Political Science

Description

We welcome Professor Jane Green to give the annual lecture for the Scottish Election Study

The Unstable Vote: How Economic Insecurity is Shaping a Divided Electorate

Two new features of British electoral choice are colliding: the increasing instability of electoral choice and the way age shapes how people vote. On top of this, economic worries are paramount, but we need the best measures to understand people’s economic concerns. Using new survey data collected after the 2024 general election, and measurement of feelings of economic insecurity, this talk will show how the confluence of the age basis to vote choice and the generational experiences of economic insecurity are combining to make a mid-life group the most pivotal ‘volatile voters’ of today. The implications are important for what may happen in politics in a context of continuing high prices and long-term economic anxieties.

Professor Jane Green

Professor of Political Science and British Politics, DPIR. Professorial Fellow, Nuffield College. Director, Nuffield Politics Research Centre

Jane Green FAcSS is a British political scientist and academic. She is Professor of Political Science and British Politics at the University of Oxford and a professorial fellow of Nuffield College. She is a specialist in public opinion and electoral behaviour and is a co-director of the British Election Study. She is the president of the British Polling Council.

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The lecture will be held in the Usha Kasera Lecture Theatre, Old College (Law School), University of Edinburgh. After the lecture, there will be a drinks reception.