57% of Britons trust the Greens on the environment, while defence remains a particular weakness for the party
The Green party have increasingly established themselves as a significant player in British politics, having consistently polled at or above 10% of the vote for the last four months, clear gains on their already record 2024 general election performance. The four Westminster constituencies the party won last year come amidst several years of significant gains in council elections, with the Greens now holding around 900 councillors.
New leader Zack Polanski, who was decisively elected by 85% of voting Green members last month, has pledged to take the party in a new ‘eco-populist’ direction, hoping to win over left-wing voters disaffected by the Labour government. But ahead of his debut speech as leader at the party’s annual conference, which kicks off tomorrow, how do Britons view the Green party?
In which areas do Britons trust the Greens?
Unsurprisingly, Britons have a particular degree of confidence in the Greens when it comes to the environment. What’s notable, though, is that a majority of Britons (54%) say they have at least a fair amount of trust in the party on the issue. Out of the 18 areas polled, which have been asked about all five major parties, this is the only issue for any of the parties for where most people express confidence in a given party.
Beyond what is undoubtedly their main issue, the Greens are also relatively trusted to protect minority groups, with the public split between the 38% who trust them at least a fair amount on the issue and the 36% who have little to no trust in the Greens here.
A third of Britons (34%) say they trust the Greens on the NHS, with around three in ten (29-31%) having confidence in the party on poverty, housing, running local councils, and keeping its promises. In all five cases, though, between 43-47% of the public say they do not trust the Greens.
Defence is a particular weakness for the party, with just 17% of Britons saying they trust the Greens at least a fair amount on the issue, compared to 57% who say they lack confidence. Forming an effective government and managing the economy are other areas where clear majorities (55-56%) express little to no trust in the Greens.
Where do voting groups trust the Green party?
Green voters are more likely to trust the party on all issues we asked about, ranging from +80 at the top of the table to +34 for defence at the bottom.
Defence is also the weakest area for the Green party among Labour and Lib Dem voters, with the party receiving negative trust scores of -20 and -28 respectively on the issue. These voters also tend not to trust the Greens on managing the economy, forming an effective government and crime.
In other areas, though, Labour and Lib Dem voters have quite high levels of trust in the Greens, particularly when it comes to the environment. Indeed, Lib Dem voters’ trust score of the Greens on the issue (+59) is roughly the same as their score for their own party (+55), while Labour voters’ score of +57 is approaching three times their best score for the Labour Party in any of the areas polled.
The Greens are also reasonably trusted by Labour and Lib Dem voters to protect minority groups, on the NHS, on poverty, to keep its promises, to run local councils, and on housing.
In most areas, Conservative and Reform UK voters largely do not trust the Greens, though trust in the party is notably higher when it comes to the environment, with net scores of -11 among Conservatives and -17 among Reform UK voters, significantly above the averages of -67 and -73 in other areas.
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Photo: Getty
