Can Burnham win over Gen Z?
Can Burnham win over Gen Z?
Young voters are giving Andy Burnham a hearing. Among Gen Z, 39% are satisfied with the job Burnham is doing, compared with 28% dissatisfied. That puts him ahead of Zack Polanski, on 33% satisfied and 36% dissatisfied. But there is still plenty of room to make an impression: a third (33%) of Gen Z say they 'don't know' how they feel about Burnham's performance.
But whilst the 'Burnham Bounce' is in full swing, that personal popularity hasn’t fully transferred to the Labour Government, with 66% of young people still unhappy with the way the government is running the country. Gen Z remain much more likely to consider parties on the left than the right, but Labour is no longer the only home for that support. The Greens lead Labour by 33% to 28% among Gen Z on voting intention since Burnham became PM; better for Labour than under Starmer but still a significant reversal from the 2024 election when Labour stood at 41% and the Greens at 19%.
Politics, pubs and The Smiths
Burnham certainly seems to have some personal cut through. In our recent 'pint test', 34% of all GB adults chose Burnham as the party leader they'd most like to go for a pint with. This puts him well ahead of Nigel Farage on 19%, Kemi Badenoch on 10%, Zack Polanski on 8% and Ed Davey on 6%. While not a youth specific measure, it reinforces Burnham's broader personal appeal.
And there may be something in the association with pubs as a sign Burnham is seen as more in touch. We held some focus groups with 16-18-year-olds to hear what they actually think. When they were asked what comes to mind about Burnham, one answered:
Politics and pubs. The Smiths.
Others show that awareness is patchier, with one young participant unsure of Burnham's role:
[Do you know what his current role is?] Is it Prime Minister? I want to say Prime Minister.
Can the vibes translate into votes?
Our qualitative research also sounded a warning. Participants spoke about feeling overlooked by Westminster politics, while social media analysis highlights anxiety about jobs, housing, affordability and whether younger generations are being heard.
This chimes with the polling. The cost of living (49%), the NHS (46%), housing (39%), poverty and inequality (38%) and unemployment (36%) are all very important to Gen Z when deciding how to vote. Housing, inequality and unemployment are more prominent for Gen Z than for the public overall.
Burnham has Gen Z's attention (at least, as much as any politician), but with the Greens competing hard for the same pool of younger voters, personality and social media cut through will only go so far. The next test is whether Burnham can turn "politics and pubs" into proof that Labour can deliver on the issues shaping young people's futures.
Did Burnham’s speech make Britain “hope again”?
4 in 10 Brits say the PM’s conference speech made them more hopeful for Britain’s public services, but they were divided on whether it made them any more optimistic for their own lives. The announcements on the triple lock and National Care Service had the biggest cut-through, but while the public prefers reducing the rate at which pensions rise to pay for a national care service over keeping the current triple lock by 42% to 25%, there is still some way to go to clinch the argument.
