Quantitative Method in Research on Political Dynamics in Election (Essay Sample)

QUANTITATIVE METHOD IN RESEARCH ON POLITICAL DYNAMICS IN ELECTION
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In essence, quantitative approach refers to the objective measurement of mathematical, numerical or statistical data. Notably, the data may be collected through surveys, polls or questionnaires. In other cases, quantitative research may involve the manipulation of pre-existing statistics using various computational approaches. In political dynamics, the quantitative methods have been used as a technique for measuring and assessing public opinion. For instance, during the elections, registered people vote for their preferred candidate. The results are determined by the polls that are held as the actual public opinion.
In this discussion, the advantages and disadvantages of using the quantitative method to research political dynamics in elections will be explored. More so, specific attention will be paid to the elections in the United Kingdom. The paper will describe the information that the technique reveals or hides when used in political methodology. Notably, quantitative research has significant advantages and disadvantages and may not be entirely reliable to provide accurate information.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Quantitative Methods in Researching Political Dynamics
Advantages
Quantitative methods are seen as the formal way of measuring people’s opinion in an election. In essence, the formal techniques are often systematic and are usually seen and accurate way to gather information about the public preference in the UK. The technique involves numbers, particularly statistics. For instance, the approach is trusted because various scholars use quantitative method during surveys. Notably, the researchers often use the approach to quantifying a particular issue as seen in the public domain to provide accurate information. Additionally, the information is used to support their studies. More so, the researchers often use focus groups in their studies to generate accurate data. In the same way, the political methodology has been embraced as the formal way in the UK to establish people’s opinions various political candidates.[Karpf, David, Daniel Kreiss, Rasmus Kleis, Nielsen, and Matthew Powers. "The Role of Qualitative Methods in Political Communication Research: Past, Present, and Future." International Journal of Communication, no. 9 (2015): 2]
Electoral data obtained from quantitative methods often reveal information about variations in political parties. For instance, research about British elections between 1945 and 1970 showed the parties that dominated the political scene. Two main parties were identified during this period. However, the support in the two components began to decrease, and this decline was determined through analyzing the election polls. In many cases, there are usually opposing parties that seek to govern the state. Using the electoral data, one can know the dominating party and its stability in the region. Furthermore, following election results would show how party support declined or stabilized over time.[Lambe, Paul. "An Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods in History." University of Michigan Library 6, no. 2, September 2003.]
The descriptive statistics used in the method present a simple way to summarize large data sets. The United Kingdom is a big country in Europe with several states including Scotland, England, Ireland and Europe. The population in this region goes to approximately 64 million people. During the election period, many people are expected to vote and therefore, the statistical representation of polls serve as an easy way to summarize the results and present them in an easily understandable way. In essence, the technique allows easy display and arrangement of quantitative data. The representation of electoral information using the data sets enables one to identify voting trends in the UK quickly. Furthermore, an interested scholar can raise relevant questions about the specific pattern observed in a particular period. The advantage, therefore, is that the method allows experts to capture data about all the voters and represents it in simple data sets.[Ibid]
Disadvantages
The aggregation of the electoral data often disguises distinct variations of the real voting behavior. Furthermore, the numbers are often distributed from the central point, which reveals a partial perception and indication of typical electoral traits. For instance, research showed how political change in the UK since 1945 was studied using the quantitative approach. Notably, the historian interpreted certain voting patterns that they suggested revealed the foundational social forces. Furthermore, the scholars attributed the development in Britain to the fundamental shifts in social attitudes as seen in the electoral results. However, given that data from this approach often disguises voting behaviors, the information from the studies often contained many assumptions about the causes of social change in Britain.[Lambe, Paul. "An Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods in History." University of Michigan Library 6, no. 2, September 2003.]
Using quantitative data to measure public opinion does not capture individual thoughts on a particular candidate. In essence, the technique mobilizes public attitude and presents it as an aggregate. The data often speaks for the citizens and is a held as an accurate reflection of their feelings about a specific political candidate. Notably, some voters are often persuaded to vote for a particular person without in-depth knowledge about the values that they hold. In addition, campaigns during the election period are used as a tool to persuade the citizens to support a particular political figure. In this case, some people vote for the candidates merely because they were persuaded yet if interrogated, they would have preferred another kind of leader. Such opinions are often not captured in the polls and therefore, the data is usually not an accurate representation of people’s preferences.[Karpf, David, Daniel Kreiss, Rasmus Kleis, Nielsen, and Matthew Powers. "The Role of Qualitative Methods in Political Communication Research: Pas...