British parties and spatial competition: Dimensions of party evaluation inthe 1992 election

Scholars of British politics traditionally characterize the electorate in t erms of partisanship and social class. This paper suggests that ideology an d issue preferences also enter into voter perceptions of British political parties and leadership. Using data from the 1992 British Election Study, th e paper analyzes the factors that contribute to individual voters' percepti ons of the Conservative and Labour parties. The 1992 election saw the major parties move toward the ideological center of British voters. Perceptions of political parties are found to be multidimensional and issue-oriented. A spatial model incorporating issue preferences and perceptions of party pos itions proves both empirically and theoretically richer than simple models of partisanship. The analysis of British voters complements earlier applica tions of the general spatial model in the context of the United States.