Class voting, social change, and the left in Australia, 1943-96

The relationship between class and voting choices has been the subject of c ontroversy in recent years, especially in connection with the apparent decl ine of the traditional left. This paper examines class voting in Australia, focusing on three major issues: (1) changes in the overall strength of cla ss voting (2) realignment, or changes in the relative political positions o f the classes (3) the connection between the strength of class voting and s upport for Labor. It finds that (1) there is a decline in 'general' class v oting (2) much of this decline involves a realignment of certain middle cla ss groups, but there is no support for the popular idea that class alignmen ts have become more complex (3) there is no connection between the strength of class voting and Labor performance. Our results cast doubt on accounts that regard the electoral difficulties of left parties as a symptom of the decline of class.