We worked with
@moreincommonuk.bsky.social on focus groups in Runcorn on Friday. In contrast to widely held assumptions, the cost of living was far more frequently discussed than immigration. Read more about what the groups tell us in Tim Shipman's column here:
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...The three focus groups were run by
@moreincommonuk.bsky.social and included different types of voters to get a good range of people.
@luketryl.bsky.social has a great thread on the details and what they found here:
bsky.app/profile/luke...⚡️🧵On Friday we ran focus groups for
@38degrees.bsky.social @mcgregor.bsky.social &
@uclpolicylab.bsky.social in Runcorn with those who voted Reform, Labour, Green or hadn't voted to explore why. These are the 1st groups I can remember where just those participants could have changed the result.
The cost of living dominated discussion. When asked about the change they wanted to see in the coming years, the focus was on having a bit more money and fixing the NHS. In this part of the discussion, immigration wasn’t raised. Here's what one first-time Reform voter said:
The removal of winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners, along with cuts to disability benefits, was referenced by participant after participant as a source of their disillusionment and concerns over government priorities. Here's what one disaffected Labour said.
Voters are not unrealistic. “I wonder what people expected after 15 years of the Tories bringing the country to its knees” was one comment. But even voters sticking with Labour aren't happy about the government's first year in office.
The govt is struggling to get recognition for progress. The minimum wage rise was hugely popular, while people talked about improvements in the NHS, with several participants saying they could now get a GP appointment more easily -- but these experiences are not top of mind for voters.
The focus groups chime with the results of an opinion poll of the constituency, also carried out this week.
Sky News have a write up here:
news.sky.com/story/politi...These results were very, very bad for Labour & for the Tories, and good for Reform, the Lib Dems & the Greens. There’ll be a lot of analysis. These focus groups and the polling is our attempt to root that analysis in the views of voters. And here’s my take for the papers today.
