The southern part of the city contains many of its more affluent areas and the Aberdeenshire towns of Peterculter, Culter and Milltimber are all quite middle class in character. However, there are also large council estates within the seat such as those at Kincorth and Garthdee.

The main employer in this seat is the oil industry and related services, so the downturn in the oil industry has hit the area hard.

Aberdeen South has been a marginal seat for many years.

It was held by the Conservatives from 1918 until 1966 when a young Labour activist called Donald Dewar won it. The Conservatives regained it in 1970 and held it until 1987 when it was won by Labour’s Frank Doran.

Significant boundary changes in 1995 theoretically made the seat safer for the Conservatives, but the Tories’ unpopularity in Scotland in 1997 not only allowed Labour’s Anne Begg to take the seat but also for the Liberal Democrats to move up to second place.