New Ipsos data analysis provided for Goalhanger’s ‘The Rest is Politics’ shows scale of young women turning to the Green Party, as inflation remains young people’s top concern

Today, we are publishing data tables and charts provided to Goalhanger Productions to support their series and analysis of young people (aged 18-34) in Great Britain. 

The episode in which the hosts explore our data and findings can be found here.

The data reveals a number of key findings and key insights when it comes to what is driving younger voters voting intentions, the issues that concern them and their role within the multi-party politics seen at the most recent local and devolved elections.

It also reveals where they are most aligned to the general population and older voters in their attitudes and perceptions when it comes the Britain today.

If you would like to explore and discuss our capabilities to support similar projects or areas of interest, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected]. 
 

Key findings

• Voting intention: 18-34s are more likely to say they plan to vote for the Greens compared to the wider public (34% vs 15%). Likewise, they are less likely to say they plan to vote for Reform UK (14% vs 28%) or the Conservatives (6% vs 18%). Attitudes towards Labour and the Liberal Democrats are in line with the wider public.
• Gender differences: Young men and young women are most likely to consider voting for the Green Party. Two in five young women (40%) say they will vote for the Greens, a 17-point lead over Labour (23%). The Greens (26%) have a smaller lead among young men (+3 over Labour, +8 over Reform UK).
• Satisfaction with party leaders: Zack Polanski leads among 18-34s, with 36% satisfied and 32%, the only party leader with a positive net satisfaction (+4) among young people. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has a net satisfaction rating of -48 (20% satisfied and 68% dissatisfied), Kemi Badenoch has a rating of -53 (10% satisfied, 63% dissatisfied), and Nigel Farage has a rating of -56 (15% satisfied, 71% dissatisfied). Polanski also leads on favourability (+14 net favourable), followed by Labour’s Andy Burnham (+9 net favourable); Keir Starmer has a net favourability of -21, while Wes Streeting sits at -7, and Nigel Farage at-27.
• On the issues: The top issue for young adults is inflation (31% vs 25% for the wider population), followed by immigration, though less of a priority for young adults (27%) than for the wider population (35%).
• Net economic optimism: Young people’s economic outlook at present is (-63) aligned with the rest of the population (-62).
• Perceptions of the economy: Young adults in 2026 (-63, February-April 2026) are as negative as they were during the heart of the 2008 financial crash (-61, Jul-Sep 2008).
   

Analytical approach

We provided Goalhanger Productions with an aggregate analysis of our robust and extensive range of data sources, exploring the perceptions of young people (the 18-34 age cohort) in Great Britain in the following areas:

•    Key issues of concern;
•    Party leader satisfaction and favourability;
•    Economic optimism;
•    Perceptions of the economy from 2008 to the present day;
•    Interest in politics;
•    Self-described political leaning.
As part of this aggregate analysis, we also provided deeper insights into perceptions based on this cohort’s housing tenure (renter, owner-occupier), educational background (graduate and non-graduate), and gender (men and women)

Full findings can be found on the downloadable charts and tables. 
 

Technical note

•    Ipsos provided an aggregate analysis of a range of data. Polling sourced data between February and April 2026. 
•    Voting intention and leader satisfaction data were sourced from our Political Monitor.
•    Leader favourability data was sourced from our Ipsos Political Pulse.
•    Key issues and economic optimism were sourced from our Ipsos Issues Index. Historic economic optimism data was sourced from our Ipsos Political Monitor.
•    Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error. 
•    Base ranges for the cohort varied and are outlined on the respective slides and data tables.