Diverging electoral fortunes in Scotland and Wales: National identities, national interests, and voting behaviour

Griffiths, J., Wyn Jones, R. Wyn ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7698-5959, Poole, E. G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9817-5014, Larner, J. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5171-8851, Henderson, A. and McMillan, F. 2023. Diverging electoral fortunes in Scotland and Wales: National identities, national interests, and voting behaviour. Regional & Federal Studies 33 (4) , pp. 487-510. 10.1080/13597566.2023.2227952

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Abstract

Despite an extraordinary degree of political turbulence in the UK, the 2021 Scottish and Welsh election results were remarkably similar to those recorded at the previous elections in 2016. While this period spanned the 2016 EU referendum, Britain’s exit from the EU, and the coronavirus pandemic, these upheavals appear to have had little impact on devolved election results. From a comparative perspective, however, such continuity only underlines the extent to which these nations’ political trajectories have diverged since the establishment of devolution in 1999. Using individual-level survey data from twelve election studies over two decades, we show how changing patterns in the relationship between national identity and party support have driven these differing trajectories. In doing so, we provide the first comparative analysis of voting over time in both countries. Additionally, we show how national identity helps to sustain single-party dominance in Scotland and Wales.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Cardiff Law & Politics Wales Governance Centre (WGCES)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races J Political Science > JA Political science (General) J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN1187 Scotland
Uncontrolled Keywords:	devolution; national identity; territorial politics; regional elections; regional parliaments; multilevel governance
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	1743-9434
Funders:	ESRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	19 June 2023
Date of Acceptance:	4 June 2023
Last Modified:	02 Mar 2024 02:26
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/160448

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