Sex, lies and politics

Contrary to popular belief, elections are both important and interesting. This is because they involve people: those who stand; those who vote for them; those who don't vote at all. Like most things involving people, explaining what they do and why is not always straightforward. Voters are influenced by emotion, by ignorance and by prejudice. They often have little awareness of what the parties are proposing and can be swayed by the most trivial or superficial matters - for example, how attractive the candidates are. Written by leading political experts, the chapters in this book draw on data from surveys, studies and opinion polls to reveal how voters tick, why they behave as they do and even what their most intimate bedrooms secrets are.