This is certainly a story that fits the main pattern of change in
the general election vote intention opinion polls.
UKIP's share of
general election vote intention, at 14 % last week, is much more muted than the 23 % they achieved in the Projected National Share of the vote (PNS) from the local elections.
The graph below shows the BBC Projected National Share of the vote (PNS) from local elections together with
general election vote intention from the polls for the month before each round of local elections.
Continue reading Local elections vote share (PNS) and
general election vote intention →
The graphs below show how changes in the shares of council seats won by each party are strongly correlated with changes in
general election vote intentions.
The poll's figures for
general election voting intentions are not as bad but still not good: although the headline figures are Con 31 %, Lab 36 %, LD 9 %, UKIP 15 %, of those who voted Labour in 2010, 9 % are said to be intending to vote UKIP.
We shall then review the way we ask
our general election voting intention question.
This is the highest «none of the above» vote since the time of the 2009 European elections, when successes for UKIP, the BNP and the Greens in that proportional - voting contest transferred briefly into well - above - average
general election voting intentions.
Reports do not make clear whether this is
a general election voting intention question or a local election voting intention question — either way, I'm reserving judgement till I see the tables on the ICM website.
This is because a significant number of Londoners — 8 % of our total sample — are Labour supporters (according to
their General Election voting intention) who prefer Boris as mayor.
Not exact matches
This pattern is likely to be repeated at the next
general election; in almost every
voting intention poll, women express a lower propensity than men to
vote, sometimes significantly so.
Since the
general election was called Labour have gone up in the GB
vote intention polls while the Liberal Democrats and especially UKIP have dropped.
The graph below shows the latest What Scotland Thinks / ScotCen Poll of Polls of
voting intentions in Scotland for the 2015 UK
general election and how it has evolved over time.
By Jane Green and Chris Prosser There is no doubting that the Independence Referendum has had a profound impact on
vote intentions for May's
general election.
To get the nomination, you need 25 percent of the
vote to get on the ballot, I think 40 percent to get the official designee or nominee of the party, so you want someone that would have the
intention to continue to run and then that person would be on the ballot in September in the primary formally, and then in November in the
general election,» Smikle explained.
Between now and the
general election, which if we believe Alan Johnson is at most eight months away, there will probably be more than 100
voting intention polls bandied about, so I thought it would be helpful to offer Total Politics readers some basic pointers to help pick their way through this particular thicket.
I recently wrote to David Cameron outlining our
intention to contest the 30 most marginal Conservative seats in 2015, where majorities in the 2010
general election ranged between 54 and 1,692
votes.
An ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph of
voting intentions in a
general election put Labour on 22 points, 18 behind the Conservatives, who are on 40 points, and three behind the Liberal Democrats on 25.
There is also the question of Gordon Brown —
voting intention figures 4 years from a
general election are of little importance at the best of times, let alone when we know the sitting Prime Minister will probably change before the next
election.
The latest Populus poll is only the third national
voting intention survey from the firm to be published since the
general election and gives a slightly different picture although well within the margin or error on all three party shares.
The actual
voting intention figures, with don't knows and won't
votes excluded, is CON 49 %, LAB 20 %, LDEM 21 %, Others 10 % — representing a swing of 10.9 % from the last
general election.
Despite that fantastic result at the
general election, in Oldham we started with no
voting intention records and there was always the danger that starting on paper in third place would result in a classic squeeze, which is why...
In our normal
voting intention surveys, we list the main parties that secured significant support, regionally or nationally, at the last
general election, adding the option «some other party».
And while UKIP has been consistently running at 14 - 15 % in
voting intentions over the last year, a similar score in the
general election of next year could bring a meagre return in seats.
In two of the seats polled, Thanet South and Thurrock, UKIP were ahead in
voting intentions, which will be enormous help for them in convincing voters they are a viable
general election vote in the local area.
In this set of seats there is no consistent pattern in the difference between the standard
voting intention question («if there were a
general election tomorrow, which party would you
vote for?»)
A YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph shows the SNP ahead of Labour in
voting intentions for a UK
general election for the first time in the party's history.
In my view, the European
election results will make little difference to
voting intentions at the
general election.
It is better to turn a blind eye to Tories who
vote UKIP in June but have every
intention of supporting Conservatives in the real contest - the
General Election.
In the Con - v - Lab marginals,
voting intention with changes from the
general election were CON 35 % -LRB--4), LAB 44 % (+8), LDEM 12 % -LRB--5).
First it asked people their
voting intention using the standard question, THEN it asked them their
voting intention again saying «thinking about your own constituency and the parties and the candidates who are likely to stand there, which party's candidate do you think you will
vote for in your own constituency at the next
general election?»
Just realised I've missed an Ipsos MORI poll of Scottish
voting intentions here, MORI's first Scottish
voting figures since the
general election.
Our latest
voting intention figures for the Sunday Times have the Liberal Democrats at 12 %, their lowest level of support since 2007 when the party removed Menzies Campbell as leader, and a halving of their support since the
General Election.
Current
voting intentions in London, with changes since the last
General Election, are CON 34 % -LRB--1), LAB 50 % (+13), LIB DEM 9 % -LRB--13).
Voting
intention figures are more interesting — the Lib Dems secured 23 % of the
vote at the
general election.
For the past few months,
voting intention support for minor parties has averaged 14 %, far more than in any
General Election in British history.
BPIX don't give the detailed
voting intention figures, but at present Labour are 7 points ahead of the Conservatives (whatever that may mean — we don't know how people are answering the standard
voting intention — when they say how they'd
vote in a
General Election tomorrow are they already taking into account who they expect to be the next leader?
Being utterly bored with what passes for news in the media, in particular the endless opinion polls supposedly showing
voting intentions 3 months before the
general election — and how many of those questioned actually know why they will be
voting for the party they choose; even more importantly, how many of those questioned even understand what democracy is or how politics works in this country — I thought a little light relief was called for.
A YouGov poll carried out for the Sun which took the views of more than 10,000 people gave the Tories a 12 - point lead over Labour, by 42 % to 30 %, on
voting intentions if there were a
general election tomorrow.
Ahead of the local
elections Government would do well to remember the impact school funding had on the
voting intentions of the public during the
general election.»