Five key findings from June's shock general election result
3 min read
The British Election Study has just released data from the 2017 general election campaign. PoliticsHome has rounded up five of the most interesting findings from the study.
The project, which probed 30,000 voters, said 8 June was indeed the “Brexit election” that had been anticipated. Tories picked up past Ukip voters, but the party shed Remain backers who previously supported them to Labour.
The study also revealed how Jeremy Corbyn went from zero to hero - from lagging far behind Theresa May in popularity, to catching up with his rival in a matter of weeks.
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE
"As far as you're concerned, what is the single most important issue facing the country at the present time?," those involved in the research were asked.
More than one in three people chose Brexit in answer to this question. The next option, terrorism, came a distant second with just one in 10 participants choosing this.
WHO DID LEAVE VOTERS VOTE FOR ON 8 JUNE?
The survey tracked voters from 2015 and 2017 and so were able to decipher how participants changed their vote depending on the referendum.
Ukip’s support virtually collapsed with over half the party’s voters moving to the Conservatives. Just 18% of voters moved to Labour.
WHO DID REMAIN VOTERS VOTE FOR ON 8 JUNE?
Although there was some confusion over Labour’s position on Brexit, the party picked up swathes of Tory Remainers as well as nearly two-thirds of 2015 green voters and a quarter of Lib Dems.
HOW TO LEAVE THE EU
Another question posed to voters was whether it was more important to "protect Britain's access to the single market, or to gain full control of immigration".
Tory voters were in favour of controlling immigration by around 60% to 20% for the single market, while Labour more concerned about access to the single market, again by around around 60% to 20%.
CAMPAIGN DIFFERENCE
In May, the Tories had a 24% lead on Labour, but by the final few days of the campaign, the parties were about level in the polls.
LEADER LIKABILITY
The increasing appeal of Jeremy Corbyn throughout the campaign was seen as a key factor behind Labour gaining ground on the Tories.
He started on 3.5% when the snap election was announced and Theresa May was on 5% but by June 7th, both leaders were on 4.4%.
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