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Official and Reported Turnout in the British General Election of 1987

Author

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  • Swaddle, Kevin
  • Heath, Anthony

Abstract

This Note looks afresh at the question of turnout in British general elections, using data gathered in the 1987 British General Election Study, together with information on the electoral behaviour of the sample, collected independently of the BGES survey. The official rate of turnout for Great Britain in 1987 (the number of votes cast over the number of entries on the electoral register) was around 75 per cent; that is to say, according to official figures, about one in four registered electors did not vote. In common with earlier surveys, the BGES indicates a much higher turnout figure than the official one; 86 per cent of respondents to the survey reported that they had voted.

Suggested Citation

  • Swaddle, Kevin & Heath, Anthony, 1989. "Official and Reported Turnout in the British General Election of 1987," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(4), pages 537-551, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:bjposi:v:19:y:1989:i:04:p:537-551_00
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    Cited by:

    1. John Curtice & Ben Seyd & Katarina Thomson, 2008. "Do Mayoral Elections Work? Evidence from London," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 56(3), pages 653-678, October.
    2. Valentino Larcinese, 2007. "Does political knowledge increase turnout? Evidence from the 1997 British general election," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 131(3), pages 387-411, June.
    3. Denny, Kevin & Doyle, Orla, 2008. "Political Interest, Cognitive Ability and Personality: Determinants of Voter Turnout in Britain," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(2), pages 291-310, April.
    4. Stocké, Volker, 2005. "Response privacy and elapsed time since election day as determinants for vote overreporting," Papers 05-42, Sonderforschungsbreich 504.
    5. Valev, Neven, 2004. "No pain, no gain: market reform, unemployment, and politics in Bulgaria," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 409-425, September.
    6. Eisinga, R. & Franses, Ph.H.B.F. & van Dijk, D.J.C., 1997. "Timing of Vote Decision in First and Second Order Dutch Elections 1978-1995: Evidence from Artificial Neural Networks," Econometric Institute Research Papers EI 9733/A, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Econometric Institute.
    7. repec:ucn:wpaper:10197/167 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Kevin Denny & Orla Doyle, 2009. "Does Voting History Matter? Analysing Persistence in Turnout," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(1), pages 17-35, January.
    9. Hans Andersson & Donald Granberg, 1997. "On the validity and reliability of self-reported vote: validity without reliability?," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 127-140, May.
    10. Robert Voogt & Hetty Van Kempen, 2002. "Nonresponse Bias and Stimulus Effects in the Dutch National Election Study," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 36(4), pages 325-345, November.
    11. David Brockington, 2004. "The Paradox of Proportional Representation: The Effect of Party Systems and Coalitions on Individuals’ Electoral Participation," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 52(3), pages 469-490, October.
    12. Charles Pattie & Patrick Seyd & Paul Whiteley, 2003. "Citizenship and Civic Engagement: Attitudes and Behaviour in Britain," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 51(3), pages 443-468, October.
    13. Stocké, Volker & Stark, Tobias, 2006. "Political involvement and memory failure as interdependent determinants of vote overreporting," Papers 06-01, Sonderforschungsbreich 504.
    14. repec:ucn:wpaper:10197/946 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Kevin Denny & Patrick Orla Doyle, 2005. "Political Interest, Cognitive Ability and Personality - Determinants of Voter Turnout in Britain," Working Papers 200511, School of Economics, University College Dublin.

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