18 concepts the spec wants you to use precisely, drawn from the Panther database. Read them, then test yourself.
In test mode, tap a concept to reveal its definition.
The concepts
Media bias(tap to reveal)- When media coverage systematically favours one political side - either openly or through framing choices.
Media framing(tap to reveal)- The way news media present information to shape how audiences think about an issue, including which aspects they highlight, which they ignore and what moral conclusions they encourage.
New media(tap to reveal)- Digital media platforms such as websites, online news, and streaming services that allow more interactive and personalised consumption of content.
Social media(tap to reveal)- Online platforms such as Twitter/X, Instagram, and TikTok where users create and share content, increasingly important in political campaigning.
Traditional media(tap to reveal)- Older forms of media such as newspapers, television, and radio, which broadcast content to large, generally passive audiences.
Agenda setting(tap to reveal)- The ability to decide which issues politicians and the public pay attention to.
Bandwagon effect(tap to reveal)- When people support a candidate just because they seem to be winning.
Blue Wall(tap to reveal)- A group of traditionally Conservative-voting, affluent constituencies in the South of England and commuter belts that became more competitive for the Liberal Democrats.
Class alignment(tap to reveal)- The old pattern where working-class people voted Labour and middle-class people voted Conservative.
Class dealignment(tap to reveal)- The weakening connection between social class and how people vote, so working-class voters no longer automatically support Labour.
Class politics(tap to reveal)- When voting and political loyalties are shaped mainly by social class, with workers supporting left-wing parties and the better-off supporting right-wing parties.
Core voter(tap to reveal)- A loyal party voter who almost always votes the same way regardless of circumstances.
Dark adverts(tap to reveal)- Political adverts on social media that only the target audience can see - hard to scrutinise or regulate.
Deferential voter(tap to reveal)- Someone who votes for a party out of habit, loyalty to social superiors or tradition rather than thinking carefully about policies.
Disillusion and apathy(tap to reveal)- A growing sense among citizens that politics cannot change things, leading them to disengage and stop participating.
Echo chamber(tap to reveal)- A situation, often on social media, where people are exposed mainly to views that match their own, reinforcing existing beliefs.
Economic voting model(tap to reveal)- The theory that people vote mainly based on how well the economy is doing, backing the government when times are good and throwing it out when they are not.
Electoral volatility(tap to reveal)- How much voters move between parties between elections. Increasing as party loyalty weakens.