As the nation prepares to go to the polls on 4 July, a team of researchers at the British Election Study is shedding light on British attitudes towards politics, political participation, and explanations of electoral results.
The British Election Study – which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year – is a non-partisan, independent study conducting world-class research into British general elections, and is the longest running social science survey in the UK. Since 1964, BES surveys have taken place immediately after every general election, providing data to help researchers understand changing patterns of party support and election outcomes. Over the last ten years, 26 large 30,000 person online panel surveys have also been conducted between elections.
In the run up to this year's general election, co-director of the BES, Professor Jane Green, has been sharing the team's insights into key questions across national media, including Why do people vote the way they do? (BBC Radio 4), and Do General Election campaigns actually influence the result? (ITV).
“We’re all in full election mode," explains Professor Green. "We’re preparing information for the ITV News Election Night special programme, as well as for the BBC Election Night programme (exit poll).”
Marking its anniversary year, the BES has published an infographic and a series of short films on topics such as Brexit and Vote Choice, Electoral Volatility, and Competence Shocks, Reputation and Trust. With some 1,500 BES mentions in the media since 2014, the British Election Study is a well-used resource.
Professor Green says, “The BES data provides an in-depth understanding of the way representative democracy functions in British elections. Our data looks into British public opinion, political participation, attitudes towards politics and explanations of electoral outcomes. We’re a trusted resource, and we greatly value that.”
Find out more about the British Election Study and the 2024 General Election
