The Scottish Labour Party Conference: Ipsos Briefing Pack
As the Scottish Labour Party gathers in Oban for its annual conference this weekend, Ipsos has produced a briefing pack which charts the party's polling performance and examines voter attitudes to the key issues that will dominate next year's Holyrood election campaign.
As the Scottish Labour Party gathers in Oban for its annual conference this weekend, Ipsos has produced a briefing pack which charts the party's polling performance and examines voter attitudes to the key issues that will dominate next year's Holyrood election campaign.
Our August poll of voting intention for the Scottish Parliament shows Labour ahead of the SNP for the first time since 2006, enjoying a lead in both the constituency and regional votes. The poll also shows that over eight in 10 who back Labour on the constituency vote also back the party on the regional vote, while SNP supporters are more likely to back other parties with their second vote.
Economic issues look set to dominate the agenda in the run up to the election in May 2011 and our polling shows Scots becoming increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for the Scottish and UK economies. While the public recognise that cuts in government spending will happen, they are keen for them to be implemented slowly in order to minimise their impact, and our recent survey of public priorities illustrates a clear message from voters that they do not want NHS budgets cut or council tax increased.
