The turnout levels for last November's children's referendum in the capital's constituencies reflected the general patterns of turnout that have been observed here in previous electoral contests. Turnout levels were generally highest in settled, owner-occupied areas in the inner suburbs, including Raheny, Clontarf, Drumcondra and Glasnevin, in the northern part of the city, and the areas beside Terenure in the south. Within Dublin, turnout increase in the 2007 contest tended to be more marked in middle-class areas; the opposite trend was observed in 2011, when areas such as Ballyfermot, Finglas, Ballymun and Darndale saw higher-than-average increases in turnout. This may have played a role in the improved electoral performances of left-wing candidates in the Dublin region in 2011.