Older Voters — Open To Persuasion
A quarter of people over the age of 65 (26%) say they may change their mind about which party to support before they vote in the expected General Election later this year, according to new MORI research released today by Help the Aged.
A quarter of people over the age of 65 (26%) say they may change their mind about which party to support before they vote in the expected General Election later this year, according to new MORI research released today by Help the Aged.
Older people, who are much more likely to vote than younger generations are clearly showing signs that while their likelihood of voting is high, the chances of them staying with the same party are not certain. Around a quarter of over 55s (25%) say they are not strongly attached to the party they say they currently support.
Technical details
MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,948 adults aged 18+ in Great Britain, face-to-face, in home, between 17-21 February 2005. Data are weighted to the national population profile.
Topline Results
Q1 How strongly do you support the (xxx) party? Do you support them very strongly, fairly strongly, not very strongly or not strongly at all? Base: All naming a party they will vote for/support at a general election (1,500)
| (All) 18+ | 55-64 | 65-74 | 55+ | 65+ | 75+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1,500) | (262) | (244) | (650) | (388) | (144) | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Very strongly | 16 | 21 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 31 |
| Fairly strongly | 52 | 51 | 50 | 49 | 47 | 45 |
| Not very strongly | 26 | 24 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 21 |
| Not strongly at all | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Don't know | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Q2 Have you definitely decided to vote for (xxx) party or is there a chance that you may change your mind before you vote? Base: All naming a party they will vote for/support at a general election (1,500)
| (All) 18+ | 55-64 | 65-74 | 55+ | 65+ | 75+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1,500) | (262) | (244) | (650) | (388) | (144) | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Definitely decided | 57 | 68 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 72 |
| May change mind | 40 | 31 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 25 |
| Don't know | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Q3 From what you can remember, did you vote for the same party at the previous three General Elections in 1992, 1997 and 2001, or not? If for any reason you did not vote in any of these elections, please say so.
| (All) 18+ | 55-64 | 65-74 | 55+ | 65+ | 75+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1,948) | (321) | (303) | (803) | (482) | (179) | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Voted at all 3 General Elections and voted for the same party at each of them | 46 | 60 | 72 | 67 | 72 | 73 |
| Voted at all 3 General Elections, but did not vote for the same party at each of them | 13 | 21 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 16 |
| Voted at some, but not all, of the last 3 General Elections, but did vote for the same party every time I did vote | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Voted at some, but not all, of the last 3 General Elections, and did not vote for the same party when I did vote | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Did not vote at any of these General Elections | 19 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Can't remember how voted/if voted/not eligible to vote at last 3 General Elections | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Q4 And how likely would you be to vote in an immediate general election, on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 means you would be absolutely certain to vote and 1 means you would be absolutely certain not to vote?
| (All) 18+ | 55-64 | 65-74 | 55+ | 65+ | 75+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1,948) | (321) | (303) | (803) | (482) | (179) | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| 10 (Absolutely certain) | 53 | 62 | 70 | 68 | 73 | 75 |
| 9 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| 7 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
| 1 (Absolutely certain not to) | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Don't know | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
