Can someone please give me feedback on my A-Level Politics essay?

good essay. But make your argument more clear in your introduction because its hard to work out what you are arguing until you read your first point

This is from the UK politics section of 2021 paper 1. Was wondering if anyone who has done politics a-level could give some constructive criticism. Thanks! Here's the paper

https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/A-Level/Politics/2017/Exam-materials/9PL0_01_que_20211005.pdf

1a) Using the source, evaluate the view that opinion polls bring more advantages than disadvantages to elections and referendums. (30)

Opinion polls are a useful tool used by politicians to understand how members of the public feel about the country’s political climate. They are a snapshot in time that can indicate where people stand on the political spectrum. Critics would argue that opinion polls are detrimental because of the effect they can have on turnout and policy. However, there is an argument that they are more advantageous because of how they successfully tell us about changing perspectives and boost voter turnout.

It could be argued that opinion polls bring more disadvantages than advantages to elections and referendums because of the negative effect they have on turnout. One view presented in the source is that opinion polls “can deflate turnout if they show one party is ahead.” Members of the electorate may believe they do not need to vote if the party they support is well ahead or appears to have no chance of winning. The 2017 United Kingdom general election saw a 69% turnout rate, which is concerningly low when compared to other countries in Europe. This low turnout brings the legitimacy of the winning party into question, and defeats the purpose of representative democracy, while also indicating opinion polls aggravate the UK’s participation crisis. However, this argument is weak. The 2017 general election saw a 2.6% increase in turnout when compared to 2015, and voter turnout has generally been increasing since 2001. The view presented in the source that “In a close contest, opinion polls can improve turnout. Opinion polls are part of a free media and integral to a healthy representative democracy.” Members of the electorate may feel more inclined to vote if they feel their ballot could help put their chosen party ahead of the opposition. This increase in turnout shows that opinion polls contribute to creating more legitimate governments. Moreover, opinion polls are fairly easy to interpret and are a simple way for the population to gain an understanding of the country’s political climate, showing how advantageous they are.

Critics of opinion polls would also suggest that they are disadvantageous because of how they impact party policy. The source states that “Opinion polls can influence the demand to call a general election and for parties to abandon principles in order to gain popularity.” Arguably, opinion polls can turn elections into a popularity contest. Parties may focus on what will get them the most votes rather than what is best or most realistic for the country. Furthermore, as parties abandon their traditional principles to appeal to the majority, they become harder to distinguish. The electorate may feel it is pointless voting because parties are essentially proposing the same ideas. Nevertheless, the effect opinion polls have on policy may actually be beneficial. A stronger argument is that opinion polls “showed how Labour’s manifesto gained them support while the Conservative manifesto put voters off.” Labour’s proposed policies, such as a £30 billion increase in NHS funding and scrapping university tuition fees, appealed to many voters while Theresa May’s Brexit policies lost her support. Opinion polls encourage parties to pay attention to what members of the public feel is most salient. Furthermore, an ideal government would be one that represents the interests of as many people as possible so policies that appeal to the majority are not necessarily detrimental. A manifesto also provides the executive with the mandate to govern; a manifesto that has not received much of the popular vote conceivably does not provide full mandate.

Furthermore, the source presents the view that “Opinion polls cause voters to vote tactically”. Members of the public may see their own party does not have a chance of winning, so they vote for another party as an alternative in order to take seats away from other candidates. This behaviour is also aggravated by the first-past-the-post system used in the UK where the two largest parties are given unfair leverage. The issue with tactical voting is that it may lead to a Parliament that does not actually reflect the views of the public. However, this argument is weak and the argument that “The 2017 polls were not all wrong. They successfully reflected changing opinions during the campaign.” 2017 opinion polls showed how similar in popularity Labour and the Conservatives were; for example a poll conducted by Survation in June 2017 found that the Conservatives had a lead of only 1%. Moreover, opinion polls during the 2016 EU referendum virtually predicted the inconclusive outcome. A June 2016 poll conducted by YouGov found that 43% of voters were in favour of remaining while 42% were in favour of leaving the bloc. Opinion polls are clearly an important indication of how the electorate will vote and how they feel policies will impact their lives.

In conclusion, the view that opinion polls bring more advantages than disadvantages to elections and referendums is stronger. There is some validity in suggesting that opinion polls have the potential to decrease voter turnout and damage the integrity of political campaigns; however, they have had a largely positive impact on government legitimacy and promoting popular policies while providing important insight into the country’s future.