Almost half of respondents say the televised debates will be important in determining which party they will support in the General Election.
Voters in Great Britain have embraced the decision to hold televised debates featuring the leaders of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties during the General Election campaign, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 2,005 British adults, 75 per cent of respondents believe the announcement is a positive development.
In addition, 28 per cent of respondents say they will do all they can to watch the debates, 45 per cent will watch them if they are in but will not make a special effort, and 26 per cent are unlikely to tune in.
The public is evenly split on the effect the three televised meetings will have on the election, with 49 per cent saying the debates will be “very important” or “moderately important” in determining who they will vote for, and 51 per cent stating that the debates will be “not that important” or “not at all important.”
Half of Britons (53%) think the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Plaid Cymru should just be included in Scottish and Wales specific debates. One-in-four respondents (27%) would invite these two parties to all the debates, while 19 per cent believe both parties should be excluded from all debates.
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CONTACT:
Andy Morris, Research Director, London
+ 44-203-178-3952
andy.morris@angus-reid.com
