Mix of local and national issues influence voters ahead of local elections

• English public most likely to cite local issues as important in deciding how to vote in locals
• But national issues important too – with priorities varying by age
• Public expect Labour to gain seats and Conservatives to lose seats on Thursday

The latest Ipsos Political Pulse, conducted online between April 21st and 24th asked the English public which issues were most important to them in deciding how to vote in the local elections.

The English public are most likely to say local factors are very important in deciding how they will vote. 42% say how well the local council has run their area is very important and 41% say what local parties are promising to do in their local area is very important. Nevertheless, around one in three say party policies on national issues are very important (33%) and three in ten (31%) say how well the UK government has run the country in the past few years is very important.

In terms of the issues themselves, the cost of living (52%) and NHS (45%) are the most important, followed by the condition of streets, roads and pavements (38%) and crime and policing (38%). However, which issues are considered most important varies significantly by age. Whereas those aged under 55 put the cost of living and NHS in their top 2, those aged 55-75 rate the condition of streets, roads and pavements as the most important issue, and rate crime and policing as important as the cost of living or NHS.

Turning to the parties, the public expect the Conservatives to lose seats and Labour to gain on Thursday. 55% think the Conservatives will lose more local councillors than they win and 45% think Labour will win more councillors than they lose. Labour are seen as generally performing better than the Conservatives in delivering local prioritises like listening to the views of residents (24% vs 13%), delivering value for money (22% vs 14%), delivering high quality local public services (24% vs 15%), setting the right level of council tax (22% vs 15%) and making your local area a better place to live (22% vs 15%).

Keiran Pedley, at Ipsos, said:

These results show how local elections are different to General Elections in the minds of voters, who prioritise local issues over national ones when deciding how to vote in them. However, the national picture is never far away, with the cost of living and NHS still on voters minds as they head to the polls, especially for those aged under 55. Meanwhile, if the public are right, the Conservatives are likely to face a difficult set of results on Thursday, reflecting the current unpopularity of the Conservative government nationally.

Technical note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,850 English adults aged 18-75. Interviews were conducted online from 21-24 April 2023.  Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.