Polling data on the July general election in Britain reveals that most voters who voted for the Labour Party did so to get the Conservatives out of power, while those who voted for Nigel Farage’s Reform Party did so because they actually believed in the party’s policies.
YouGov recently released the summer voter data, offering insight into the factors influencing voter behavior in the UK’s 2024 general election. Before the election, YouGov polls noted voters’ apathy toward the parties they intended to vote for. The post-election data confirms the trend, highlighting that many voters’ decisions were driven more by opposition to other parties than enthusiasm for their chosen party.
For Labour supporters, the predominant reason to vote was opposition to the Conservative Party, with 34 percent identifying this as their chief motivation. Just six percent expressed alignment with Labour’s election manifesto or policies.
Similarly, the primary reason Liberal Democrat voters chose their party was to oust the Conservatives.
Unlike other parties, Reform supporters’ leading reason was to control immigration, a key policy of the Farage-led party cited by 34 percent. Dislike for other parties ranked second, at nine percent.
Reform leader Nigel Farage introduced his campaign by calling for “net zero migration,” meaning that the number of people leaving and entering the country should be balanced.
Other polls have also shown Reform performed better among young voters than the Conservatives during the election. Young European voters are flocking to parties with anti-mass migration policies in several European countries, including Germany, France, and Austria.
The YouGov poll could partially explain Labour leader and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s massive dip in popularity soon after entering office. Sixty-three percent of Britons now hold an unfavorable view of him.
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