Winning Women's Votes in Europe
The gender gap in voting patterns and political priorities at the 1999 European Election
The gender gap in voting patterns and political priorities at the 1999 European Election
- Europe is the third most important issue facing the country according to women voters Nearly a quarter (23%) of women named Europe as one of the most important issues facing the country, up from 18% in 1998. (MORI, January 1998, Jan/Feb/March 1999 aggregate)
- Less than 20% of young women say they are likely to vote in the European election. Only 16% of women and 23% of men under 24 said they were certain or very likely to vote in the European Election. Over all 38% of women and 40% of men said they were certain or very likely to vote. (MORI, February 1999)
- Women voters feel they do not have enough information about Europe to decide how to vote. 64% of women across Europe who said they would not vote in the European Election said it was because they were not well enough informed about Europe. (Euro-barometer, February 1999) Women in Fawcett focus groups said they suffered from a lack of information about Europe. 'We just don't know what they are doing do we... people don't care about things like that (straight bananas), they care about .... the important things that effect us' (Fawcett focus group, March 1999)
- More than four out of ten women and three out of ten men could not name any effect the EU had on life in Britain. When asked what are the main ways the EU affects life in Britain 43% of women and 31% of men said 'I don't know'. (MORI/Fawcett, March 1999)
- Younger women are more likely to vote Labour than younger men, and less likely to vote Conservative in the European elections. The Labour lead among women under 24 is a massive 42 points, compared to 36 points for men under 24. (MORI, February 1999)
- Older women are less likely to vote Labour than older men, and more likely to vote Conservative in the European elections. The Labour lead among women over 55 is 11 points, compared to 19 points for men over 55. (MORI, February 1999)
Q1 Thinking about the European Union (Common Market), what, if any, would you say are the main ways it affects the lives of people in Britain today?
| All | Women | Men | |
| % | % | % | |
| Introduction of the Euro (single currency) | 11 | 10 | 12 |
| Spends British taxpayers' money | 8 | 6 | 10 |
| Interferes with British laws | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Enables British people to challenge the law | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Creates more bureaucracy/ red tape | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| Creates bureaucracy for British companies | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| More opportunities for British businesses | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Regulates food products | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Loss/erosion of British identity/way of life | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| More rights for people bringing up children | 1 | 1 | * |
| More rights for workers | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| More rights for the consumer | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| More environmental protection | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Better relations with other European countries | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Worse relations with other European countries | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| More stable British economy | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Less stable British economy | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| More help for British regions | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Less help for British regions | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Increases the cost of living | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Provides more opportunities for travel | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Farmers/ agricultural subsidies | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| No/ lack of involvement in decision making | 1 | * | 1 |
| Fewer jobs available | 1 | * | 1 |
| The EU/ politicians are corrupt | * | * | 1 |
| Lack of information/ confusion | * | * | * |
| Better defence policies | * | * | * |
| Makes Britain culturally more open | * | 1 | * |
| Lower prices | * | * | * |
| Taking duty free goods away | * | * | * |
| Other social policies | * | * | * |
| More jobs available | * | * | * |
| Other | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Has no effect | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Don't know | 37 | 43 | 31 |
| Any positive | 17 | 15 | 19 |
| Any negative | 31 | 29 | 33 |
Q2 Here is a list of things both favourable and unfavourable that have been said about the European Union (Common Market). From what you know, I would like you to pick out all those statements that fit your impression of the European Union.
| All | Women | Men | |
| % | % | % | |
| The disadvantages of Britain's EU membership outweigh the benefits | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| It provides help for deprived parts of Britain | 23 | 20 | 27 |
| It imposes bureaucracy and red tape on businesses | 34 | 29 | 40 |
| Works to improve the environment | 19 | 15 | 23 |
| It seeks to control the British way of life | 32 | 31 | 34 |
| Works to improve workers' rights | 27 | 23 | 32 |
| It interferes with the British legal system | 31 | 27 | 36 |
| Works to improve the rights of the consumer | 17 | 14 | 20 |
| Spends British taxpayers' money unwisely | 29 | 27 | 32 |
| It provides opportunities for British businesses to grow | 26 | 21 | 30 |
| Is out of touch with the views of the British public | 32 | 30 | 34 |
| The benefits of Britain's EU membership outweigh the disadvantages | 19 | 14 | 24 |
| It works to improve the rights of people bringing up children | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Other | * | * | * |
| None of these | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Don't know | 14 | 20 | 8 |
| Any positive | 55 | 47 | 63 |
| Any negative | 66 | 60 | 71 |
Base: All (2,075), Women (1,197), Men (878)
For more information see the full report: Winning Women's Votes in Europe: the gender gap in voting patterns and political priorities at the 1999 European Election. Available from Fawcett.
Technical details
Interviews conducted among 2,075 adults aged 15+ throughout Great Britain, face-to-face, in-home between 25-30 March 1999, at 149 sampling points. Data weighted to national profile. An asterisk (*) indicates a percentage less than 0.5% but greater than zero
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