Most commonly because they liked another party less
Newly released YouGov data from July provides a retrospective look at the public’s reasons for voting the way they did at the 2024 general election.
We asked respondents to tell us in their own words the one main or biggest reason for backing their particular choice on 4 July, which our new AI tool - AI Topic Quantifier - has sorted into categories.
YouGov polling prior to the general election had detected a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the parties people expected they would vote for, and this post-election polling bears this out, with large numbers of voters saying that their main motivation for their choice being the dislike of an opponent party rather than a love of their own.
Why did Britons vote for Labour in 2024?
By far the most common reason for backing Labour is simply disdain for the Conservatives. Fully one in three Labour voters (34%) say their main motivation in backing Keir Starmer’s party was to eject the Tories from Downing Street.
In a distant second place – although thematically similar – was the belief that the country needed change, which 12% of Labour voters gave as their main reason for backing the party.
In third place is a more distinctly affirmational reason for backing the party – 6% saying it was because they agree with their policies or manifesto.
Why did Britons vote for the Liberal Democrats in 2024?
As with their Labour counterparts, getting rid of the Tories was also the most common justification for backing the Liberal Democrats, at the lower rate of 22%.
Unlike Labour, however, there was a clear constituency of Lib Dem voters who were seeking to return their local candidate at the election. One in seven Lib Dem voters say so (14%), compared to only 3% of Labour voters – this was the second most frequently given top reason to vote for the party.
Lib Dem voters are the most likely of all parties to say they were did so primarily because they agreed with the party’s policies/manifesto, at 12%.
Lib Dems are also the most likely to say their decision to vote for Ed Davey’s party is a tactical or protest vote, at 8%.
Why did Britons vote for the Conservatives in 2024?
While Labour and Lib Dem voters were most likely to want to remove the Conservatives rather than providing an affirmative case for their own choice, the Tories likewise tended to have an eye on who they didn’t want in Downing Street rather than who they did.
The most common reason given for voting Conservative in 2024 is simply to try and stop Labour (21%).
As with the Lib Dems, the desire to elect a specific local candidate was also frequently cited, with 11% of Conservatives saying so.
Why did Britons vote for Reform UK in 2024?
Uniquely, the top reason given for voting Reform UK was not scepticism of other parties. By far the most common reason for backing Nigel Farage’s party was “to control immigration”, with 34% of Reform UK voters saying so. Our polling during the campaign found that fully 82% said that immigration was a top 3 issue in deciding their vote, including 68% who said it was the top issue.
Dislike for other parties still ended up coming second, with 9% saying that they didn’t want to back either Labour or the Conservatives.
One in twelve Reform UK voters (8%) say their choice was because the country needs a change, although understandably far fewer Reform UK backers saw their vote primarily as a means to eject the Tories from office (3%).
A further one in twelve (8%) also cited agreement with the party’s manifesto or wider policy offering as the main draw.
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