Every voter counts: winning over low-income voters
Low-income voters have been locked out of policy-making and debate for too long. How can politicians gain their support and trust in the next election and beyond?
Low-income voters have increasing power in British politics, and a strong wish to improve their own prospects and their communities. Slogans need to be backed up by reality: it is time for the concerns, ideas and values of people living on a low income to rise to the centre of politics. All political parties stand to gain by listening to these voters. So too does our democracy.
What you need to know:
- Low-income voters are a large segment of the electorate, around 9.5 million people; 2.7 million of them can be characterised as swing voters.
- Low-income voters are still more likely to vote Labour than Conservative, but they are less tribally loyal to one party.
- Brexit is not the most important issue to most of them: they want action to revitalise the places they live in, opportunities for themselves and their children to thrive, and for their living standards to improve.
What this report shows you:
- who is most likely to live on a low income in Britain, and their key concerns
- how people on low incomes voted in recent elections, and the pivotal role they might play in the next one
- results from a large survey of low-income voters, and a nationally representative sample, to understand the values and attitudes shaping their intentions right now.
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