Ed Miliband and Nicola Sturgeon felt to have most improved perceptions over the campaign

Public Sector

Ipsos's latest Political Monitor probes the public on how their views of the party leaders have changed over the course of the campaign.

 

The SNP are seen to have the most effective campaign, Conservatives the most negative

Ipsos’s latest Political Monitor probes the public on how their views of the party leaders have changed over the course of the campaign. A third (35%) say their views on Ed Miliband have become more favourable, compared to 22% who say this for Mr. Cameron. Three in 10 (31%) however have gained a more unfavourable perception of Ed Miliband while a similar number (31%) say the same for David Cameron - although reflecting David Cameron’s stronger profile generally, half (47%) say they haven’t changed their mind of him.

Nicola Sturgeon has made the biggest inroads with the British public. Thirty-eight per cent say they now see her more favourably than before the election campaign while one in four (26%) sees her more unfavourably. Nick Clegg has made less of an impact; 19% now see him more favourably, 26% more unfavourably and 51% say their opinion hasn’t changed towards him. Nigel Farage seems to have split opinions more over the campaign. Thirty-eight per cent say they now see him more unfavourably and one in five (20%) see him more favourably, but he remains very highly rated amongst his own supporters where 79% of those intending to vote UKIP say they have become more favourable of him. 

 
Indeed these figures broadly reflect existing perceptions of the leaders and often split along party lines. Seven in 10 (72%) of those who intend to vote Labour say they now see Ed Miliband more favourably while four in 10 (39%) voting Conservative see David Cameron more favourably. Nick Clegg is seen more positively by one in three (34%) of those intending to vote Lib Dem.
The new Ipsos survey also investigates public perceptions on how the parties are conducting their campaigns. One in four (25%) say the SNP have had the most effective campaign so far, followed by 17% saying the Conservatives, 15% Labour and 13% UKIP. The Liberal Democrats and Greens however have made less of an impact on the public. Three per cent believe the Lib Dems have had the most effective campaign while 4% say the same for the Greens. The Conservatives and Labour are said to be the most negative election campaigners according to the British public. When asked which party and leader are making the most personal attacks on their opponents and policies, 28% say David Cameron and the Conservatives, 23% Ed Miliband and Labour and 18% Nigel Farage and UKIP. Fewer see Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP, Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems, and Natalie Bennett and the Greens as particularly negative campaigners. Seven per cent say the SNP have been the most negative, while 3% say the same for the Lib Dems and 2% for Greens. When testing the Conservative’s campaign messaging the public appears to be split. Nearly half (46%) of the public agree that “competent” is an accurate description of the current government while two in five (40%) disagree. Attacks on Labour however have had less of an impact. Thirty-six per cent believe if a Labour government was elected on 7 May that there would be “chaos” while a majority (52%) disagree.

Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos said:

"These figures partly reflect what people already feel about the leaders, and on other measures David Cameron and Nick Clegg have boosted their satisfaction ratings this week.  But they do highlight some key stories of this campaign – improving perceptions of Ed Miliband, especially among his own supporters, and of course the strong campaign performance of Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP".

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Technical note:

  • Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,010 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain.
  • Interviews were conducted by telephone 26-29 April 2015.
  • Data is weighted to match the profile of the population.

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