Poll Archive

Voting Intention

Fieldwork: January 4th 2008 - January 6th 2008

published by The Times

Click here to download detailed results 162k

(Change on previous poll 7-9 December)

Labour	33% (+1%)
Conservative	37% (-3%)
Lib Dem	19% (+3%)
Others	11% (-)

The ‘Others' vote is broken down between:

SNP	4%
Green	2%
Plaid Cymru	1%
UKIP	2%
BNP	1%
Other parties	1%

LEADER INDEX

How good a leader (on a 10-point scale) is…

All voters	Feb-04	Apr-04	Aug-04	Sep-04	Oct-04	Nov-04	Jan-05	Jan-06	May-06	Jul-06	Sep-06	Jan-07	May-07	Jul-07	Jan-08
Howard	4.40	4.90	4.52	4.44	4.15	4.54	4.58
Cameron								5.28	5.11	4.98	5.20	5.11	4.95	4.81	5.07
Blair	4.92	5.02	4.90	4.84	5.31	4.85	5.07	5.33	4.72	4.21	4.63	4.69	5.22
Brown													5.00	5.49	4.60
Kennedy	4.68	4.87	5.04	5.05	4.98	4.87	4.95	4.69
Campbell									4.70	4.50	4.47	4.65	4.20	4.36	4.40

I'm going to read out some words and phrases that have been used to describe different politicians and I'd like you to say in each case if you think the word or phrase is true or not true of the leaders of the three main political parties.

[Change since July 27-29 shown in brackets – except where an asterisk indicates that attribute was tested more recently for David Cameron & Gordon Brown & the comparison is with November 2nd-4th 2007; comparison for Nick Clegg is with Ming Campbell's rating]

* comparison is with November 2nd-4th 2007.

Net 'TRUE'	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
Strong	19% (-35%)	9% (+12%)	-16% (-19%)
Charismatic	-49% (-11%)	22% (+16%)	-29% (-12%)
All spin & no substance *	6% (+18%)	13% (+10%)	-9% (+11%)
Likeable *	-14% (-8%)	29% (+3%)	15% (-8%)
More honest than most politicians	-28% (-37%)	-16% (+2%)	-12% (-18%)
Has what it takes to be a good Prime Minister *	-8% (-16%)	4% (+11%)	-22% (+10%)
Cares about the problems ordinary people face	-2% (-33%)	8% (-6%)	4% (-20%)
Has the backing of his party	17% (-38%)	47% (+45%)	30% (+6%)
Sticks to what he believes & doesn't give in to pressure	10% (-39%)	12% (+8%)	3% (-18%)
Has answers to the big problems facing Britain *	-21% (-9%)	-9% (+6%)	-25% (n/a)
Understands the problems ordinary people face *	-8% (-10%)	-1% (+3%)	-5% (n/a)

Likeable	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
True	40%	60%	38%
Not true	54%	31%	23%
Don't know	6%	9%	39%
Net TRUE	-14%	29%	15%

Strong	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
True	55%	49%	20%
Not true	36%	40%	36%
Don't know	9%	11%	44%
Net TRUE	19%	9%	-16%

Charismatic	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
True	21%	56%	23%
Not true	70%	34%	40%
Don't know	10%	11%	37%
Net TRUE	-49%	22%	-17%

All spin & no substance	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
True	46%	48%	23%
Not true	40%	35%	32%
Don't know	14%	17%	45%
Net TRUE	6%	13%	-9%

More honest than most politicians	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
True	30%	34%	22%
Not true	58%	50%	34%
Don't know	12%	16%	44%
Net TRUE	-28%	-16%	-12%

Has what it takes to be a good Prime Minister	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
True	40%	44%	17%
Not true	48%	40%	39%
Don't know	12%	16%	44%
Net TRUE	-8%	4%	-22%

Cares about the problems ordinary people face	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
True	44%	48%	32%
Not true	46%	40%	28%
Don't know	10%	12%	39%
Net TRUE	-2%	8%	4%

Has the backing of his party	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
True	51%	66%	48%
Not true	34%	19%	18%
Don't know	16%	15%	35%
Net TRUE	17%	47%	30%

Sticks to what he believes & doesn't give in to pressure	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
True	49%	46%	24%
Not true	39%	34%	21%
Don't know	12%	20%	56%
Net TRUE	10%	12%	3%

Has answers to the big problems facing Britain	Brown	Cameron	Clegg
True	33%	37%	16%
Not true	54%	46%	41%
Don't know	14%	17%	42%
Net TRUE	-21%	-9%	-25%

Net 'TRUE'	BROWN	BROWN	CAMERON	CAMERON
	Men	Women	Men	Women
Strong	23%	16%	13%	6%
Charismatic	-50%	-48%	28%	17%
All spin & no substance	12%	3%	21%	6%
Likeable	-21%	-8%	33%	25%
More honest than most politicians	-37%	-19%	-16%	-15%
Has what it takes to be a good Prime Minister	-13%	-4%	5%	-3%
Cares about the problems ordinary people face	-6%	2%	8%	8%
Has the backing of his party	17%	16%	49%	45%
Sticks to what he believes & doesn't give in to pressure	6%	14%	7%	18%
Has answers to the big problems facing Britain	-23%	-18%	-9%	-10%
Understands the problems ordinary people face	-15%	-2%	-1%	-1%

There are some issues on which one or other of the political parties is often regarded as being traditionally stronger than the others. Please say if you think each of the following phrases applies more to Labour, more to the Conservatives, or more to the Liberal Democrats. If you don't think the phrase applies particularly to any of them, please say so.

Phrase applies more to…	Labour	Conservative	Lib Dem	None of them
The party of the NHS	42%	21%	7%	21%
The party of lower taxes	20%	35%	10%	24%
The party of sound economic management	31%	26%	6%	21%
The party that's tougher on law & order	23%	41%	4%	24%
The party of fairness	26%	17%	20%	26%
The party that's more committed to state education	46%	20%	9%	17%

The party of the NHS	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE
Labour	42%	43%	41%	48%	40%	38%	43%
Conservative	21%	23%	19%	21%	23%	22%	17%
Lib Dem	7%	8%	6%	6%	8%	7%	7%
None of them	21%	19%	23%	19%	19%	25%	22%
Net: Labour is…	21%	20%	22%	27%	17%	16%	26%

The party of lower taxes	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE
Labour	20%	15%	25%	17%	20%	24%	20%
Conservative	35%	44%	27%	47%	34%	32%	27%
Lib Dem	10%	11%	9%	8%	13%	12%	7%
None of them	24%	22%	26%	23%	22%	23%	28%
Net: Conservative is…	15%	29%	2%	30%	14%	8%	7%

The party of sound economic management	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE
Labour	31%	33%	29%	34%	31%	32%	27%
Conservative	25%	30%	21%	27%	26%	24%	23%
Lib Dem	6%	4%	7%	5%	6%	9%	4%
None of them	21%	18%	24%	20%	20%	21%	23%
Net: Labour is…	6%	3%	8%	7%	5%	8%	4%

The party that's tougher on law & order	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE
Labour	23%	19%	27%	18%	24%	26%	26%
Conservative	41%	47%	36%	48%	44%	36%	34%
Lib Dem	4%	4%	3%	3%	2%	8%	3%
None of them	24%	22%	26%	24%	23%	22%	28%
Net: Conservative is…	18%	28%	9%	30%	20%	10%	8%

The party of fairness	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE
Labour	26%	27%	26%	26%	26%	28%	26%
Conservative	17%	19%	14%	14%	18%	18%	16%
Lib Dem	20%	23%	17%	26%	23%	17%	12%
None of them	26%	22%	30%	25%	21%	29%	30%
Net: Labour is…	9%	8%	12%	12%	8%	10%	10%

The party that's more committed to state education	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE
Labour	46%	46%	47%	55%	53%	36%	38%
Conservative	20%	20%	20%	16%	18%	25%	23%
Lib Dem	9%	10%	8%	7%	8%	14%	7%
None of them	17%	17%	17%	17%	15%	17%	20%
Net: Labour is…	26%	26%	27%	39%	35%	11%	15%

Populus interviewed a random sample of 1509 adults aged 18+ by telephone between 4th January 2008 and 6th January 2008. Interviews were conducted across England and the results have been weighted to be representative of all English adults. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. For a full description of the methods we use, please click here.

Contact me about
this poll