67% of Britons feel politicians primarily act out of self-interest, while just 4% see them as doing what is best for their country
The lack of trust in politics has been a major point of concern in recent years, both in the UK and around the world. Central to the loss of trust has been the question of what motivates politicians, with the British public increasingly ready to see politicians as self-interested.
Today, two thirds of Britons (67%) believe that politicians are out merely for themselves, relative to only 4% who feel they do what is best for their country. A further 19% think politicians do what is best for their party above all else. These figures are all virtually unchanged from 2022.
The view that British politicians act largely out of self-interest is held by a clear majority of voters for all parties, including 63% of Labour and Lib Dem voters, 65% of Conservatives and 68% of Greens. Reform UK voters, though, are even more likely to see politicians as out for themselves, with 83% saying this.
Doubt that politicians act in the public interest is nothing new, though it has increased in recent years.
Even back in 1944, during the Second World War, just 36% of Britons told Gallup that politicians were trying to do what was best for their country, compared to 35% seeing them as being primarily out for themselves and 22% seeing them as being first-and-foremost motivated by helping their party.
By 1972, belief that politicians were primarily doing what was best for their country had fallen to 28% according to Gallup. It dropped to just 10% in an October 2014 YouGov poll. By this time, nearly half of Britons (48%) saw politicians as merely doing what was best for themselves, with 30% seeing them as doing what was best for their party.
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Photo: Getty
