From the House of Commons to haunted houses: 4 in 10 Britons find Nigel Farage scariest party leader
Ipsos has been brewing up some spine-chilling findings this Halloween, from the politician Britons find most frightening to which party leader they'd trust to host the ultimate monster mash.
- Farage considered the scariest politician: When asked which of the main national party leaders is the scariest, 42% of Britons say Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, followed by Green Party leader Zack Polanski on 19%.
- This sentiment is slightly higher among younger adults, with nearly 1 in 2 aged 16–34 (46%) naming Farage as scariest, compared to 38% among those aged 55–75.
- 7% of British adults find Prime Minister Andy Burnham the most scary, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch stands at 4% and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey at 1% (21% say none of them).
When asked which leader would host the best Halloween party:
- 17% of Britons believe Nigel Farage would throw the best Halloween celebration, led by 21% of older adults aged 55–75.
- 14% choose Labour's Andy Burnham, who garners his strongest support among younger demographics, with 1 in 5 adults aged 16–34 (20%) backing his party-hosting credentials.
- 10% of British adults select Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, matching Green leader Zack Polanski (10%), while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch trails on 5%.
- Almost 1 in 4 (24%) feel none of the leaders would throw a good party.
When it comes to giving out sweets to trick or treaters
- Nearly 6 in 10 Britons (57%) report that they or someone in their household are definitely or probably not planning to hand out sweets or treats if children come knocking on Halloween, while 37% of British adults plan to do so.
- Participation is heavily stratified by age: Nearly 1 in 2 young adults aged 16–34 (48%) plan to hand out treats, compared to 37% of those aged 35–54, and just 1 in 4 Britons aged 55–75 (25%). 7 in 10 older adults (72%) do not plan to participate in trick-or-treating.
Technical notes:
- Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,095 British adults aged 16-75 on its online omnibus. Polling was conducted online between 16 and 19 October 2026.
- Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.
