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"Left-wing" vs "right-wing": a categorisation beloved by politicians and journalists, but the public just don't fit neatly into those categories. yougov.co.uk/topics/politic…
For a start, the general public clearly don't understand "left-wing" and "right-wing". Just half of people can identify even the most stereotypically left- or right-wing policies as being so.
Here are the 10 most recognisably left-wing views according to the public...
1. Minimum wage is too low (53%)
2. Trade unions are a force for good (52%)
3. Greater redistribution from rich to poor (51%)
(see chart for full list)
yougov.co.uk/topics/politic…
1. Minimum wage is too low (53%)
2. Trade unions are a force for good (52%)
3. Greater redistribution from rich to poor (51%)
(see chart for full list)
yougov.co.uk/topics/politic…
...and here are the 10 most recognisably right-wing views
1. Believing welfare benefits are too high (52%)
=2. Thinking more private sector involvement would improve the NHS (51%)
=2. Wanting tighter immigration restrictions (51%)
(see chart for full list)
yougov.co.uk/topics/politic…
1. Believing welfare benefits are too high (52%)
=2. Thinking more private sector involvement would improve the NHS (51%)
=2. Wanting tighter immigration restrictions (51%)
(see chart for full list)
yougov.co.uk/topics/politic…
On top of this, many who consider themselves left-wing or right-wing hold views that they 'shouldn't'. For instance, 55% of people who consider themselves left wing say the criminal justice system is too soft; 47% want tighter immigration restrictions... yougov.co.uk/topics/politic…
...while 44-47% of people who consider themselves right wing would support utilities and/or railway nationalisation yougov.co.uk/topics/politic…
We saw earlier that recognition of left/right wing policies was low, so it could just be that people are assigning themselves the wrong place on the spectrum. So to test this we looked at the combinations of policies people support.
Again, it shows that huge numbers of people hold views that straddle the left/right divide. Of those who want to see tighter immigration restrictions 51-53% support railway or utilities nationalisation and 56% support greater redistribution of wealth... yougov.co.uk/topics/politic…
...likewise, 68% of people who support greater redistribution of wealth also want tighter restrictions on immigration; 59% of the same group support capital punishment. yougov.co.uk/topics/politic…
Figures like this are the reason people shouldn't be shocked that 61% of Labour voters support Boris Johnson's move to give police expanded stop and search powers. Treating voters as if they fit neatly into left or right categories just isn't an accurate view.
