The public want independent regulation of standards in politics

The vast majority of people in the UK want politicians who have integrity. They have a very poor impression of politicians’ current behaviour. They really care about these issues: the ‘health of democracy in the UK’ matters to voters just as much as, for example, immigration or crime. People support reform of the current standards system: in particular, they want to empower independent regulators to ensure that standards are maintained.

These are central findings from the latest tranche of research findings to be released from the Unit’s Democracy in the UK after Brexit research project. They come from a survey conducted in late summer, just before Liz Truss took over as Prime Minister.

The results are published in PoliticsHome.

Survey details

YouGov interviewed 4,105 respondents between 26 August and 5 September 2022 as part of the second population survey of the Democracy in the UK after Brexit project. The survey closed just before Liz Truss was announced as the new leader of the Conservative Party.

The full report on the results of this survey, among the most detailed of its kind conducted in the UK, will be published early in 2023. The survey investigated public attitudes on a range of issues including the role of democratic institutions, standards in public life and the state of democracy. More details about the survey can be found here.

The Democracy in the UK after Brexit project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council through its Governance after Brexit programme. It is led by Professor Alan Renwick, working with Professor Meg Russell and Professor Ben Lauderdale.

Questions and results