Ipsos Political Monitor August 2013

CON 30 (+1); LAB 40 (n/c); LIB DEM 10 (n/c); UKIP 11 (-1)

The latest Ipsos Political Monitor shows that Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, in particular, are facing a struggle in communicating to voters what they stand for. For each, half of the British public say they agree with the statement that they “don’t know what they stand for”. David Cameron does best with 33% saying they don’t know what he stands for, while 37% feel the same about Nigel Farage. Among their own party supporters, 40% of Labour supporters feel they don’t know what Ed Miliband stands for, and 38% of Liberal Democrat voters say the same of Nick Clegg. For David Cameron, 23% of Conservatives say they don’t know what he stands for, as do 21% of UKIP supporters about Nigel Farage. There has been little change in voting intentions over the month, with Labour maintaining their lead over the Conservatives by 40% to 30%. UKIP has a one point lead over the Liberal Democrats (with vote shares of 11% and 10% respectively), compared to a five point lead in April. There has also been little change in the leader approval ratings over the month:

• David Cameron has a net satisfaction rating of -17 (38% satisfied minus 55% dissatisfied), the same as his -16 last month.
• Ed Miliband has a net satisfaction rating of -27 (28% satisfied minus 55% dissatisfied), the same as his -26 last month. His satisfaction rating of 28% is the lowest he has seen as party leader.
• Nick Clegg has a net satisfaction rating of -35 (27% satisfied minus 62% dissatisfied), the same as his -34 last month.
• Nigel Farage has a net satisfaction rating of -5 (33% satisfied minus 38% dissatisfied), down from -1 last month. Three in ten (30%) say they don’t know.
• Three in ten (32%) Britons are satisfied with the way the government is running the country while 60% are dissatisfied. This net rating of -28 is up from -32 last month.

This month also included questions comparing attitudes to the leaders and their parties. David Cameron remains more liked than the Conservative party, while the opposite is true of Ed Miliband and Labour. Of the three main parties, David Cameron is the most liked leader, Ed Miliband the least, while Labour is the most liked party, and the Conservatives the least. However, Nigel Farage and UKIP get the lowest “like” ratings – although this is partly due to high don’t knows compared to the other parties.

• David Cameron is liked by 43%, and disliked by 52%. The Conservative party is liked by 39%, and disliked by 57%. The proportion liking the Conservative party has slightly increased from 35% in October 2012.
• Ed Miliband is liked by 30% (down from 37% in October 2012), and disliked by 63%. The Labour party is liked by 49%, and disliked by 43%, which represents little change.
• Nick Clegg is liked by 33% (up from 29% in October 2012), and disliked by 57%. The Liberal Democrat party is liked by 43% (up from 40%), and disliked by 47%.
• Nigel Farage is liked by 27%, and disliked by 50%. The UK Independence Party is also liked by 25%, and disliked by 52%. Around one in four (22%) say they don’t know.

Ipsos Political Monitor: August 2013 from Ipsos

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Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos said:

“The challenge facing all party leaders in getting their ideas across to the public is most acute for Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, even among their own supporters, and it isn’t helped by their low personal ratings. Despite that, Labour have held on to their lead, and remain the most liked party.”

Technical Note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,007 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone 10th – 12th August 2013. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.