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Voting in the 1997 Scottish and Welsh devolution referendums: Information, interests and opinions
Author(s) -
Denver David
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/1475-6765.00034
Subject(s) - referendum , devolution (biology) , voting , welsh , political science , politics , government (linguistics) , public administration , brexit , political economy , law , economics , sociology , european union , economic policy , linguistics , philosophy , anthropology , human evolution
. The rarity of referendums in the United Kingdom makes them unusual events for voters, parties and students of voting behaviour. The 1997 devolution referendums in Scotland and Wales were highly significant since they led to major constitutional changes. In the novel circumstances of a referendum, political parties and the media played an important role in providing voters with information to guide their voting decisions. Longstanding identities and opinions relating to the pros and cons of the issue involved and attitudes towards the government influenced voting. Reassuringly, opinions about the effects of devolution were highly influential.