Greens and Lib Dems are most positively viewed parties
Over the party conference season, we’ve asked the same set of questions about how Britons view each of the major parties in turn. Do they see them favourably? Do they think they have too much power? What terms do they associate with them? Who do they care about? Now, with conference season over, let’s compare the images of Britain’s main political parties.
How do Britons describe the parties?
When looking at the common political descriptors Britons feel apply to them, it is the Lib Dems and Greens who tend to come off best.
For instance, while only around one in ten Britons (10-12%) see the Lib Dems or Greens as being ‘only interested in themselves’, a majority of the public (56%) feel this is true of the Conservatives and around three in ten (29-31%) see it as applying to Labour and Reform UK. This is complemented by which parties are seen as ‘likeable’, one in six Britons (16-17%) saying so of the Lib Dems, compared to only 9% of Reform UK, 7% of Labour and just 2% feeling it is true of the Tories.
But this picture is not wholly uniform, with some descriptors splitting more in terms of challenger parties vs the established parties. The Greens and Reform UK, for instance, are the ones most seen to have a ‘clear sense of purpose’, while also being the least likely to be perceived as ‘the same as the rest’ and most likely to be seen as ‘distinct’.
There are also some cases where one party stands out by itself. The Conservatives are noticeably more likely to be perceived as ‘divided’, with 44% of Britons viewing them as such, compared to no more than 14% for any other party. Reform UK are similarly most likely party to be perceived as ‘extremist’, which four in ten (39%) see as applying, compared to no more than one in seven (15%) for any other party.
Who Britons see the parties as caring about?
Another dimension is which groups the parties are perceived as caring about, with these results more characterised by stereotypical associations. Labour, for instance, are by far the most likely to be seen as caring about the trade unions and ethnic minorities, while the Conservatives are clearly most associated with caring for rich people, businesses, people in the South of England and the middle classes.
But do the social groups themselves agree on whether the parties care about them?
Half of ABC1s (49%) – people who live in middle class households – feel the Labour party cares about the working class, clearly more than for any other party. However, among C2DEs – those who live in working class households – only 29% see Labour as sharing their class interests, fewer than the 35% who see Reform UK as caring about the working class.
Over 65s see little distinction between the parties in terms of caring about younger people, with between 35% and 42% saying so of all five parties. Among 18-24 year olds, however, there is a clear gap – six in ten (59%) seeing the Greens as caring for young people, compared to around half (47%) feeling so of Labour and only one in eight (13%) seeing the Conservatives as being interested.
The mirror image is true when it comes to older people – 18-24 year olds see little difference, while over 65s draw a clear distinction, with one in ten (10%) seeing Labour as caring for elderly interests, compared to half (48%) seeing the Tories as being interested in the ‘grey vote’.
A similar story can be seen by looking at which groups feel that the parties care about ‘people like them’. Younger Britons are more likely to see Labour, the Lib Dems or the Greens as caring about them, while the belief that the Conservatives or Reform UK care about ‘people like you’ increases with age. C2DEs are less likely to see each party as caring about people like them than ABC1s, except for Reform UK.
Perhaps most alarmingly for the government, though, is that only half of Labour voters (50%) feel the same about the party they voted for in July, with nearly as many (41-42%) feeling the Lib Dems or Greens care about people like them. It’s also a rate that lags significantly behind rival parties, as 84% of Reform UK voters, 71% of Lib Dem voters and 66% of Tories see their party as caring about people like them.
Which is the most favourably viewed party?
Looking at which parties are most positively viewed overall, though, and it’s a return to relative positivity for the Greens, who 43% of Britons have a favourable opinion of, and the Lib Dems, who are seen favourably by four in ten Britons (39%). Nonetheless, in both cases, this is still balanced by 38% of the public having an unfavourable opinion of the parties.
Only one in three Britons (34%) have a positive opinion of the Labour Party, with just over a quarter of the public (27%) having one of Reform UK. This is against clear majorities of the public (56-57%) who hold an unfavourable view of both parties. But neither are as unpopular as the Conservatives, who just 22% of Britons see favourably and seven in ten (69%) see negatively.
But not all favourability is equal. For instance, with Reform UK, nearly half of those who have a favourable view of the party describe their opinion as ‘very favourable’, while this is true for only around one in five of those with a positive opinion of Labour, the Conservatives or the Greens.
This stems in part from very varied pictures of the parties among their own voters. Reform UK voters really like Reform UK, with two-thirds (67%) having a very favourable view of the party. Around half of Green voters (46%) are similarly enthusiastic about their choice.
With the largest parties, though, only one in six Conservative voters (18%) and one in seven Labour voters (15%) are very favourable towards the party they backed in July. On top of this, there are a clear minority who see the party they backed negatively: one in six Tories (17%) and nearly a quarter of Labour voters (23%) have an unfavourable opinion of the party they endorsed only three months ago.
See the full results here for the Conservatives, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and Green Party
How do you feel about the political parties? Have your say, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.
Photo: Getty
