Research

In October 2024, More in Common published Doom Loop, a report on public opinion on the economy ahead of  the Autumn Budget. That study highlighted deep economic pessimism among the public, concern that things were going backwards and tough choices facing the Chancellor. New polling from More in Common reveals that since the budget, this sense of doom has only deepened. The public are both deeply anxious and pessimistic about the economy, with little faith in the Government’s ability to make things better.

Polling by More in Common shows that the overwhelming majority of English people  – across ethnic groups, education levels, ages and politics – agree that race and ethnic background is no barrier to being English. 

Would emulating Donald Trump help or hinder Reform’s ascent? Having secured four million votes at the General Election, Reform UK has continued to build momentum. Since the General Election, the party’s vote share has risen around 10 points and they are now vying for first place with Labour and the Conservatives. However, new research from More in Common highlights potential liabilities associated with President Trump that Reform will need to overcome if they are to position themselves as a credible party of Government rather than protest.

Days before Keir Starmer’s visit to Washington, our research finds that Britain is watching the unfolding Ukraine negotiations with worry and anticipation. Over the past few weeks, concern over the conflict has risen; the proportion of Britons who rank Ukraine among the top issues facing the country has doubled since the beginning of February. Many fear that any resulting peace deal will leave Ukraine vulnerable and Europe sidelined, while others worry the conflict could escalate into a broader regional war. Despite this uncertainty, our polling shows that Britons remain resolute in their support for Ukraine – with opposition to Britain’s support for Ukraine limited to a small minority. As calls from international leaders grow for Europe to “achieve security independence” from the United States, the British public want a greater focus on security in what they view as an increasingly dangerous world.

Elon Musk’s increasingly forceful interventions into British politics and in particular his personal attacks on Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips on grooming gangs, and support for Tommy Robinson have dominated the news agenda over the past week. Based on polling of 2000 people, More in Common has explored what the public really think about the events of the past week. We have found that:

In advance of the launch of the Government’s Plan for Change, More in Common asked Britons about some of the key events and actions in Labour’s first five months in office – testing how much the public has heard about what the government has done  and whether they view their actions positively or negatively. The research finds  some of the government’s more popular policies  have been overshadowed by more unpopular spending cuts and tax increases.

More in Common have released their first MRP of the new Parliament which reveals a dramatic shift in Britain’s electoral dynamics. The model estimates that an election today would produce a highly fragmented and unstable Parliament with 5 parties holding over 30 seats. While Labour would still emerge on top, they would have barely a third of the total number of seats, and a lead of just six seats over the Conservatives, while Reform UK emerges as the third largest party on 72 seats.