Voting Intentions in Great Britain 1987-1997

Public Sector

Q1 How would you vote if there were a General Election tomorrow? (Ask those undecided / refused) Q2 Which party are you most inclined to support?

 

This page shows the "headline" voting intention figures from all our published polls between the 1987 and 1997 general elections.

Please note that our "headline" figures at this period were not calculated on the same basis as the ones we publish today: figures were based on the responses of all those giving a voting intention, regardless of how certain they were that they would vote. Since November 2002, our headline figure has been the voting intentions of those “absolutely certain to vote”; however, voting intentions from our polls since 2002 calculated on the same basis as used in the 1987-97 period can be found here.

Most polls shown in the table were conducted with face-to-face interviewing; those conducted by telephone are marked with a (T).

1976-1987 | 1997-2002 | Since 2002

Q1 How would you vote if there were a General Election tomorrow? (Ask those undecided / refused)

Q2 Which party are you most inclined to support?

1987 Con Lab Lib SDP Alliance Other Lab lead Total Alliance
  % % % % % % ± % %
General election result (11 June) 43 32   2 -11 23
June 25-July 1 49 31 7 3 8 3 -18 17
July 21-29 49 33 6 2 8 3 -16 17
August 21-26 48 36 7 3 4 2 -12 14
September 24-30 49 36 6 2 4 3 -13 12
October 19 50 34 n/a n/a n/a 2 -16 14
October 21-26 47 37 7 2 5 2 -10 14
November 19-25 50 38 7 2 3 1 -12 11
December 29-30 48 36 6 3 6 1 -12 15
1988 Con Lab Lib SDP Alliance Other Lab lead Total Alliance
  % % % % % % ± % %
January 22-26 50 36 7 2 3 2 -14 12
February 26-March 1 46 38 7 2 5 3 -8 14
  Lib Dem  
March 17-18 46 39 6 7   2 -7  
March 24-28 46 37 8 6 3 -9
April 22-26 44 42 6 5 3 -2
May 27-June 1 44 40 7 6 3 -4
June 3-6 47 40 7 4 2 -7
June 22-28 48 38 7 5 2 -10
July 21-25 46 41 8 4 1 -5
August 18-22 50 36 8 4 2 -14
September 21-26 44 39 8 6 3 -5
October 26-31 44 39 8 6 3 -5
November 25-30 45 37 8 6 4 -8
December 28-29 46 36 6 7 5 -10
1989 Con Lab Lib Dem SDP Green Other Lab lead
  % % % % % % ± %
January 26-30 47 36 8 5   4 -11
February 23-28 42 39 9 7 3 -3
February 27-28 42 41 9 5 3 -1
March 3-4 41 37 9 9 4 -4
March 16-17 41 40 9 6 4 -1
March 15-19 44 40 6 6 4 -4
April 20-24 41 41 9 6 3 0
May 18-22 41 43 7 4 5 +2
June 22-27 37 47 4 3 7 2 +10
July 20-26 36 45 4 4 8 3 +9
August 17-22 40 45 4 3 6 2 +5
September 21-26 38 43 6 3 7 3 +5
October 19-23 38 48 5 3 5 1 +10
November 23-24 37 51 4 3 4 1 +14
November 23-27 42 46 5 3 3 1 +4
December 27-28 39 46 6 3 4 2 +7
1990 Con Lab Lib Dem SDP Green Other Lab lead
  % % % % % % ± %
January 18-22 36 48 5 3 5 3 +12
February 15-19 34 51 5 4 4 2 +17
March 15-20 30 54 6 4 4 2 +24
March 23 31 54 6 2 4 3 +23
April 19-24 31 54 6 3 4 2 +23
May 17-21 35 48 8 4 4 1 +13
June 13-18 38 49 8 n/a 3 2 +11
July 19-23 38 46 10 n/a 4 2 +8
August 16-20 35 50 10 n/a 4 1 +15
September 20-24 38 45 12 n/a 3 2 +7
October 18-22 33 49 14 n/a 2 2 +16
November 16 37 48 12 n/a 3 +11
November 15-19 38 46 12 n/a 2 2 +8
December 27-28 41 45 9 n/a 2 3 +4
1991 Con Lab Lib Dem Green Other Lab lead
  % % % % % ± %
January 18-21 46 41 9 2 2 -5
February 22-25 44 41 11 1 3 -3
March 21-25 40 40 16 2 2 0
April 18-22 42 40 15 1 2 -2
May 24-28 37 43 16 2 * +6
June 21-24 39 41 15 1 4 +2
July 19-22 38 43 15 2 2 +5
August 23-27 42 40 14 2 2 -2
September 20-24 39 39 17 1 4 0
October 18-21 39 45 12 2 2 +6
November 22-25 40 42 15 1 2 +2
December 4-5 40 43 23 1 3 +3
December 27 38 44 14 2 2 +6
1992 Con Lab Lib Dem Green Other Lab lead
  % % % % % ± %
January 17-21 42 39 16 1 2 -3
February 21-25 39 40 18 1 2 +1
March 11-12 38 41 16 5 +3
March 12-13 40 39 16 5 -1
March 16 38 43 16 3 +5
March 18-20 38 41 19 2 +3
March 20-24 38 41 17 1 3 +3
March 23 38 41 17 4 +3
March 25-27 38 40 20 2 +2
March 30 35 42 19 4 +7
April 1-3 37 39 21 3 +2
April 6-7 37 40 20 3 +3
April 7-8 38 39 20 3 +1
General election result (9 April) 42.8 35.2 18.3 3.7 -8
April 25-28 43 38 16 * 2 -5
May 21-26 43 38 16 1 2 -5
June 19-23 42 39 16 1 2 -3
July 23-28 39 43 15 1 2 +4
August 21 38 44 14 4 +6
August 27-September 1 41 44 13 1 1 +3
September 18-19 (T) 39 43 15 3 +4
September 25-29 37 43 16 1 3 +6
October 23-27 35 45 15 1 4 +10
November 27-December 1 34 47 15 1 1 +13
December 11-15 34 47 16 1 2 +13
1993 Con Lab Lib Dem Green Other Lab lead
  % % % % % ± %
January 21-25 37 45 14 1 3 +8
February 18-22 34 46 16 1 3 +12
March 25-29 32 47 17 1 3 +15
April 22-26 32 46 20 * 2 +14
May 20-24 28 44 24 1 3 +16
June 11-12 29 44 22 4 +15
June 24-28 28 46 23 1 2 +18
July 23 34 44 18 4 +10
July 22-26 27 44 25 1 3 +17
July 30 27 41 28 4 +14
August 19-23 28 42 25 1 3 +14
September 16-20 29 43 25 1 2 +14
October 21-25 29 45 23 1 2 +16
November 18-22 29 47 22 1 2 +18
December 9-13 29 47 20 1 3 +18
1994 Con Lab Lib Dem Green Other Lab lead
  % % % % % ± %
January 10-11 (T) 30 46 20 4 +16
January 20-24 28 48 20 1 3 +20
February 24-28 28 47 21 1 3 +19
March 24-28 27 49 20 1 3 +22
April 21-25 26 47 23 1 3 +21
May 13-14 (T) 26 49 20 5 +23
May 19-23 27 46 23 1 3 +19
June 16-20 24 52 20 1 3 +28
July 14-18 23 51 21 1 4 +28
August 18-22 23 56 18 1 2 +33
September 22-26 25 54 17 1 3 +29
September 24-26 25 52 18 5 +27
October 20-24 25 57 14 1 3 +32
November 17-21 24 55 17 1 3 +31
December 15-19 22 61 13 1 3 +39
1995 Con Lab Lib Dem Green Other Lab lead
  % % % % % ± %
January 20-23 27 56 14 1 2 +29
February 17-20 24 58 14 1 3 +34
March 17-20 25 57 13 1 4 +32
March 24 25 59 12 4 +34
April 21-24 26 56 15 1 2 +30
May 19-22 22 58 16 1 3 +36
June 23-24 (T) 32 54 11 3 +22
June 23-26 29 56 13 1 2 +27
July 3 (T) 33 52 10 4 +19
July 21 30 52 13 5 +22
July 21-24 26 59 12 1 2 +33
August 25-28 25 56 15 1 3 +31
September 22-25 28 51 16 1 4 +23
October 20-23 27 56 13 1 3 +29
November 17-20 26 56 14 1 3 +30
December 1-4 28 55 13 1 3 +27
1996 Con Lab Lib Dem Green Other Lab lead
  % % % % % ± %
January 19-22 29 55 13 1 1 +26
January 26-29 28 54 15 3 +26
February 9-12 26 57 14 3 +31
February 23-26 26 57 14 1 2 +31
March 8-11 29 55 13 3 +26
March 22-25 28 57 13 * 2 +29
April 19-22 28 54 14 1 3 +26
April 27 29 54 13 2 2 +25
May 10-13 27 56 13 5 +29
May 23-26 27 54 15 1 3 +27
June 7-10 27 56 13 3 +29
June 21-24 31 52 12 1 4 +21
June 28 - July 1 32 52 12 3 +20
July 23-28 29 53 12 1 5 +24
August 9-12 30 52 13 4 +22
August 20-25 30 51 13 1 4 +21
September 6-9 28 56 12 3 +28
September 20-23 29 52 14 1 3 +23
October 4-7 29 54 13 5 +25
October 11-14 30 53 12 5 +23
October 18-21 (T) 27 54 12 7 +27
October 25-28 28 56 12 1 2 +28
October 30 - November 1 (T) 30 54 12 4 +24
November 8-11 33 50 12 1 3 +17
November 27-29 30 52 13 5 +22
December 6-9 30 51 13 1 3 +21
1997 Con Lab Lib Dem Green Referendum Other Lab lead
  % % % % % % ± %
January 24-28 30 55 11 1 1 2 +25
February 21-24 31 52 11 1 1 1 +21
March 21-24* 29 50 14 1 3 1 +21
April 1* 28 55 11 1 2 4 +27
April 2-3* (P) 30 55 9 1 3 2 +25
April 8* 34 49 12 * 1 4 +15
April 11-14* 29 50 15 6 +21
April 15* 32 49 13 1 2 3 +17
April 22* 27 48 17 1 3 4 +21
April 23-24* (P) 29 53 12 1 3 2 +24
April 29-30* 28 48 18 8 +20
April 30** (T)(P) 29 47 19 5 +18
General election result (1 May) 31.4 44.4 17.2 7.0 +13

* Asked as "How do you intend to vote at the General Election on May 1st?" **Asked as "How do you intend to vote in the general election tomorrow?" (P) Panel survey (T) Telephone poll

Voting Intentions 1997-2002

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