Democracy’s in trouble – EXCLUSIVE research from Tortoise

In an exclusive poll of 10,000 voters – five times the normal sample size for surveys of voter sentiment  – Tortoise has found British democracy isn’t working. Twelve years since the Conservatives took power and six since the EU referendum, voters are dissatisfied with their representatives, divided by demography and distrustful of a system that seems stacked against them.

• Barely half of voters think of Britain as a functioning democracy.

• Nearly a third want a strong leader unconstrained by parliament when it comes to making big decisions.

• Three quarters think MPs don’t care much or at all about their everyday concerns.

• Four fifths feel they have little or no say in how the country is run.

• 45 per cent of voters would vote to rejoin the EU if there was another referendum, compared with 40 per cent who’d vote to stay out.

The full findings can be found here:  Democracy in Britain . The poll was designed with the pollster Peter Kellner, and carried out by Deltapoll.

• By 2:1, they think it doesn’t make much difference which party is in power

• Nearly six in ten say “rich and powerful people having more political influence than ordinary voters” tops a list of the worst features of British democracy.
  
• More than two thirds (68 per cent) across all age ranges say young people don’t have enough respect for traditional British values. 

James Harding. Co-founder and Editor of Tortoise Media,

“Democracy is in trouble in the UK.  Only one person in five thinks democracy gives them any real say in how the country is run; nearly a third of people say the country needs a strong leader who doesn’t need to consult Parliament; and the biggest concern is that democracy works for the rich and powerful, not them. 

These are just some of the findings of the poll of 10,000 people that we commissioned at Tortoise to look at the state of democracy in Britain.  It’s the first opinion poll done on this scale to ask the question: “Does democracy work for you?” 

There are plenty of international surveys charting the decline of democracy around the world, where dictators, populists and pseudo-democrats are rolling back the rule of law.  But we’re too complacent about the democracy crisis at home: people are losing faith in Britain’s political system. 

Tortoise is a slow newsroom; we’re not trying to chase more breaking news, but understand what’s driving it.  Over the coming months, we are going to be holding ThinkIns across the country trying to get to the truth about Britain’s broken democracy – and, we hope, gather ideas on ways to mend it.”

Peter Kellner, leadinghttps://mailchi.mp/tortoisemedia/people-minus-power-1 pollster:

“We all know the mantra. Britain has its problems but, for all its faults, our nation is a mature, stable democracy whose future is secure. That view could be dangerously complacent. Deltapoll”s research for Tortoise suggests that the risks of our democracy fraying are greater than we might think. Barely half the public think Britain is democratic, and 14 million want a strong leader who does not have to answer to Parliament.

I have never seen such disturbing figures. They flow from widespread contempt for our politicians. Two thirds of the public think MPs are “mainly out for themselves” rather than genuinely interested in public service and their constituents. Even more, three in four, do not trust MPs to “care about the concerns of people like you”. As a result, the adjectives that people choose most, from a list of eight to describe Britain’s democracy these days are “uneasy”, “disgusted” and “angry”, while the adjectives they choose least are “confident”, “happy” and “proud”. It’s impossible to avoid the conclusion that British democracy is in deep trouble with the electorate.”

Joe Twyman, Co- Founder of Delta Poll:

“Tortoise has commissioned one of the largest surveys ever conducted in this country to look closely at democracy in Britain, including how the British people feel it works for them and for others. A representative sample of more than 10,000 adults from across Britain took part, and while the results may make for some uncomfortable reading, the data paint a very important and necessary picture that invites close examination. You cannot address a problem by simply pretending – or even hoping – that it does not exist.”

James Harding will chair a ThinkIn  ‘Does democracy work for you?” with Hashi  Mohamed, author and barrister,  Joe Twyman from Deltapoll, and Will Snell, CEO of The Fairness Foundation,  on Wednesday 8th June at 18.30 BST – it will be live in  our newsroom and online.

Click Does democracy work for you? to book a place – if you’re not a member please use the guest code PRESSPASS.

To read Giles Whittell’s full Sensemaker on the research click here