Political apathy worst in country

Four out of 10 people in the Sheffield area did not vote in the last election

South Yorkshire has become the most politically apathetic area in the country, according to a BBC survey.

In the last three general elections - 1997, 2001 and 2005 - an average 41% of the electorate in Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham did not vote.

That was the worst of the BBC's 45 local radio areas, said the Changing UK report from Sheffield University.

The research was commissioned to assess how much the nation's communities have changed over the past 40 years.

In the 1945, 1950 and 1951 elections the area covered by BBC Radio Sheffield was one of the most politically engaged - with only a 17.7% abstention rate.

A greater proportion of the population in this area feel... politically disenfranchised - they feel the political parties do not speak to them Colin Hay, professor of political analysis at Sheffield University

From 1955 to 1992, the figure stabilised at between 22% and 26%.

However, the number of people failing to vote rocketed in the period covering Tony Blair's three election victories.

Colin Hay, professor of political analysis at the University of Sheffield, said: "It is wrong to say this is political apathy.

"A greater proportion of the population in this area feel themselves to be politically disenfranchised - they feel the political parties do not speak to them."

He believes the traditional Labour vote in the former coal and steel-producing communities has been taken for granted during the New Labour years.

"I would suggest a lot of the people who account for the fall in turnout in the last three elections are, in fact, quite political, but quite disillusioned with politics in general."

Poverty worsens

However, as the UK falls into recession, Professor Hay believes the resulting hardship could rekindle the electorate's desire to turn out at the polling stations.

"As times get tougher issues such as rising unemployment and how to meet the mortgage payments will matter more and there might well be a return to voting by these people," he said.

The report also reveals a relatively high level of poverty in the Radio Sheffield area.

The proportion of households deemed to be "breadline poor" was 30.3% in 2000, the fourth highest percentage in England. That was up from 24.3% in 1990 and 19.4% in 1980.

Meanwhile, it was also one of only five areas in England whose population has declined, falling 1.4% between 1981 and 2006.