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When do Britons next want a General Election to be held?

  • Insight
  • 23 October 2023

New polling shows that the idea of a January 2025 election is unpopular with voters. While few Britons feel support an immediate General Election, the majority want an election to be held by around May next year.

Only one in five Britons (18%) want a General Election by the end of this year - this demand is most strongly felt by Progressive Activists and Disengaged Battlers. But across all seven segments, majorities of the public want a General election around or before May next year - driven by their dissatisfaction with the current state of politics and their desire for change. As expected, the Tory base Backbone Conservatives are most relaxed about waiting for a General election, but only 17% of them would chose to wait until January 2025.

All of this can be explained by the fact that three in four Britons - and majorities across all seven segments - now want a change in government.

Looking at other demographic breakdowns, it is millennials and 2019 Labour voters who most want an immediate election, and older people and 2019 Conservative voters who most support a delayed General Election.

While it’s understandable that Rishi Sunak will want to wait as long as possible to call an election in the hope that Conservative prospects improve, our polling suggests that waiting too long may in fact have the opposite effect. A weary public are not in the mood for a 12 month plus General Election campaign and overwhelmingly would like an election over and done with before next summer.

Luke Tryl, UK Director

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