Wirral South Post By-election Recall

• MORI On-Line interviewed 795 adults aged 18+ by telephone in Wirral South on 28 February-2 March 1997 on behalf of The Sun.
• Respondents had previously been interviewed at the start of the by-election campaign and data are weighted to
• be representative by population and politics.
• An asterisk indicates a figure less than 0.5% but greater than zero.

Q1 Did you vote in the by-election yesterday/on Thursday?

Yes	89%
No	11%
Don't know/Refused	0%

Q2 Which party did you vote for? Base: All who said yes at Q1 (700)

Q3 When we last spoke to you, you mentioned that you had voted Conservative in the general election in 1992. What made you change your vote for the by-election? Base: If Tory voter in 1992 (from previous suvey) but not now (94)

Generally dissatisfied with Tories	22%
Time for a change	21%
No faith in them/disillusioned	12%
Education	9%
NHS	7%

Q4 What can you think of that the Conservative Party could do to re-gain your support? Base: Ex-Tories (94)

Improve NHS/spend more on NHS	23%
Nothing/would not change back	21%
Nothing/time for a change	16%
Change the leader/get rid of Major	10%
Improve education/spend more on education	10%
Do more about law and order	10%
Cut taxes	8%
Less sleaze/be more honest	8%
Get rid of VAT on fuel	7%
Promise no Single currency	2%

Q5 Which of the following statements comes closest to your reasons for supporting the ... (Party named at Q2) at the by-election? Base: All non-Tory voters in by-election (437)

Q6 Why did you not vote? Base: All who did not vote (95)

Bad weather	33%
I don't support/agree with any of the parties	15%
I am not registered to vote	13%
My vote doesn't make any difference	9%
Fed up with all the parties	9%
Can't get to the polling station	8%
I don't support/agree with any of the candidates	5%
Didn't know about by-election	2%
No point in voting in a by-election/ will wait for General Election	2%
I don't know what any of them stand for	2%

Q7 If you had voted, which party would you have been most inclined to vote for? Base: Non-voters (95)

Conservative	38%
Labour	37%
Liberal Democrats (Lib Dem)	7%
Socialist Labour Party	0%
UK Independence Party	3%
Natural Law Party	0%
Other	6%
Cannot remember	2%
Refused	7%

Q8 What do you think was the most important issue that affected the way people voted in the by-election?

Q9 Which party do you think made most effort to win the by-election in Wirral South on Thursday?

Conservative	6%
Labour	76%
Liberal Democrats (Lib Dem)	2%
Socialist Labour Party	*%
UK Independence Party	0%
Natural Law Party	0%
Other	6%
Don't know	10%

Q10 Please can you tell me the names of any politicians from the three main parties that you can remember seeing, either in person, on television or in the press, visiting the Wirral South constituency during the by-election?

Conservative Any	39%
Heseltine	28%
Clark	7%
Howard	4%
Major	4%
Mawhinney	4%
Shephard	3%
Hague	1%
Other Conservative	15%

Labour Any	69%
Blair	46%
Prescott	30%
Cook	6%
Brown	2%
Dobson	1%
Dewar	*%
Other Labour	16%

Lib Dem Any	24%
Ashdown	17%
Kennedy	1%
Hughes	*%
Other Lib Dem	8%

Other, don't know party	2%
Don't know/cannot remember	9%

Q11 The Prime Minister has to call a general election across the country by May of this year. Which of these two dates would be your preferred date for the General Election?

Q12 Which party will you vote for in the General Election, when it comes? (If undecided or refused at Q12) Q13 Which party would you be most inclined to support?

Q14 Regardless of how you intend to vote, which party do you think will win the General Election and form the next government?

Q15 On balance, do you think that will be good for you and your family, bad for you and your family, or do you think it will not really make any difference?

Technical details

Research Study conducted for The Sun 28/29 February 1997 Data were weighted to match the profile of the population. The voting intention figures exclude those who say they would not vote (9%), are undecided (6%) or refuse to name a party (2%).