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

Griffiths, J., Wyn Jones, R., Poole, E.G., Larner, J.M., Henderson, A. and McMillan, F. (2023) Diverging electoral fortunes in Scotland and Wales: national identities, national interests, and voting behavior. Regional and Federal Studies, (doi: 10.1080/13597566.2023.2227952) (Early Online Publication)

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: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council; under project reference ES/V009559/1 (Welsh Election Study) and ES/V01000X/1 (Scottish Election Study).
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: McMillan, Dr Fraser
• Authors: Griffiths, J., Wyn Jones, R., Poole, E.G., Larner, J.M., Henderson, A., and McMillan, F.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
• Journal Name: Regional and Federal Studies
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 1359-7566
• ISSN (Online): 1743-9434
• Published Online: 06 July 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Regional and Federal Studies 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License