A Third of Britons Back Alternative Vote, Just as Many Still Undecided
More than half of respondents say they are “not too informed” or “not informed at all” about the proposed electoral system.
The Poll Archive RSS
(01/12/11) -
As Britons begin to ponder their options on a referendum that could change the way lawmakers are elected, the proposal to switch to the alternative vote system is ahead, although a large number of voters remain undecided, a new Vision Critical / Angus Reid poll has found.
The referendum, which is scheduled for 5 May 2011 in the United Kingdom, will ask voters whether the United Kingdom should continue to rely on the first past the post system to elect MPs to the House of Commons, or move to the alternative vote system instead.
In the online survey of a representative sample of 2,010 British adults, 37 per cent of respondents say they would vote Yes to switch to the alternative vote system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. One-in-five respondents (20%) would cast a No ballot in order to keep the existing first past the post system. More than a third of respondents (37%) are undecided, and six per cent would not vote.
The change to the alternative vote system is most popular in Scotland (42%) and least supported in Midlands and Wales (31%). While Conservative Party voters in the 2010 General Election are virtually split when assessing the change (34% would vote Yes, 30% would voter No) the gap is larger for Labour Party voters (Yes 36%, No 23%). Liberal Democrats favour the change by a 6-to-1 margin (Yes 53%, No 9%).
The high level of undecided voters appears to be related to lack of information. More than half of Britons (54%) say they are “not too informed” or “not informed at all” about the alternative vote system—including a majority of Labour (56%) and Liberal Democrat (53%) voters.
Analysis
With four months to go before the referendum takes place, the only group that seems unquestionably motivated to enact change is formed by Liberal Democrats. At least a third of respondents across the country remain undecided, and just two-in-five say they are well informed about the proposed new system. The stance of party leaders will play a significant role in boosting the level of support for the Yes and No sides as the referendum draws near.
Download Full Methodology Statement
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Communications & Media Relations
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@visioncritical.com
Methodology: From January 6 to January 7, 2011, Vision Critical conducted an online survey among 2,010 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.2%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
