Sunday Mirror / Independent on Sunday Political Poll – February 2015

Labour remains on 34%, two points ahead of the Conservatives on 32% in the latest online ComRes poll for the Sunday Mirror and Independent on Sunday. UKIP are down two since January to 16%, with the Liberal Democrats remaining on 7% and the Greens up one to 4%.

Most voters – male and female – think that Labour’s pink Woman to Woman campaign bus patronises women, according to a ComRes poll for the Sunday Mirror and The Independent on Sunday. The poll finds 57 per cent of women and 55 per cent of men agree that, “by travelling around Britain in a pink bus to try and attract female voters, the Labour Party is patronising women”.

Cameron thought more likely than Miliband to be PM after election

Labour remains on 34%, two points ahead of the Conservatives on 32% in the latest online ComRes poll for the Sunday Mirror and Independent on Sunday. UKIP are down two since January to 16%, with the Liberal Democrats remaining on 7% and the Greens up one to 4%.

Con 32% (-1)

Lab 34% (NC)

LD 7% (NC)

UKIP 16% (-2)

Greens 4% (+1)

Others 7% (+2)

Key points:

Miliband vs Cameron

David Cameron is thought more likely than Ed Miliband to be Prime Minister after the General Election in May. 40% think he will stay on as Prime Minister, compared to 22% who think Ed Miliband is more likely to be Prime Minister.
The Conservative leader is more likely to be thought of as being better at managing the economy (43% to Miliband’s 20%), although the pair are tied on who would make people’s own families better off (Miliband 26%, Cameron 25%).
Miliband has a ten point advantage on the NHS (36% to Cameron’s 26%). Cameron leads on managing immigration (36% to 20%).
They are broadly tied when it comes to who would be more effective at tackling tax avoidance (both 31%), while Mr Cameron has a small lead over the Labour leader on raising standards in schools (Cameron 32%, Miliband 29%).

Greens and UKIP

One in three Britons (35%) think that the Green Party has some good ideas about how to run the country, although as many (37%) think that it would be dangerous if it had any power.
Compared to the Greens, UKIP is considered my more people both to be dangerous (55%) and to have some good ideas about how to run the country (41%).

Gender

British adults are more likely to agree (44%) than disagree (33%) that shops should put less emphasis on aiming some toys at girls and others at boys.
Half of women agree (52%) compared to only around one in three men (36%).
More than half of both men (55%) and women (57%) think that by travelling around Britain in a pink bus to try and attract female voters, the Labour Party is patronising women.

Tax avoidance
The vast majority of Britons (82%) think that the Government should have more powers for making sure large companies do not avoid paying tax in the UK.
Although one in three (36%) Britons agree that that there it is little government can do to stop large companies from moving their profits overseas to avoid paying tax in the UK, more disagree (41%).

Findings in detail

Miliband vs Cameron

Q: Do you think that each of the following applies more to David Cameron or to Ed Miliband?

	Ed Miliband	David Cameron	Don’t know
Likely to be prime minister after the election in May	22%	40%	38%
Would be better at managing the economy	20%	43%	37%
Would be better at managing the NHS	36%	26%	37%
Would be better at managing immigration	20%	36%	44%
Would be more effective at cracking down on tax avoidance and evasion	31%	31%	38%
Would be more likely to raise standards in schools	29%	32%	39%
Has the qualities needed in a leader	17%	42%	41%
Would make me and my family better off	26%	25%	49%

Base: All GB adults (n=2,017).

Just half of Labour voters (49%) expect Ed Miliband to be Prime Minister after the election in May, compared to 80% of Conservative voters who expect David Cameron to be. 5% of Conservative voters expect Miliband to be PM, compared to one in five (19%) Labour voters who expect Cameron to be.
Half of Liberal Democrat (47%) and UKIP (48%) voters think David Cameron would be better at managing the economy, compared to only 17% of Liberal Democrat voters and 11% of UKIP voters who think Ed Miliband would be better.
One in three UKIP voters (32%) think Cameron would be better at managing immigration, compared to 13% who Ed Miliband would be better. However, more than half (55%) say they do not know.

Greens and UKIP

Q: Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

	Agree	Disagree	Don’t know
The Green Party has some good ideas about how to run the country	35%	30%	35%
The Green Party would be dangerous if it had any power	37%	29%	34%
UKIP has some good ideas about how to run the country	41%	42%	17%
UKIP would be dangerous if it had any power	55%	26%	19%

Base: All GB adults (n=2,017).

Conservative voters (41%) are more likely than Labour voters (29%) to say that UKIP has some good ideas about how to run the country.
Half of Conservative (50%) and UKIP voters (53%), and one in three Labour voters (36%) think that the Green Party would be dangerous if it ever had any power.
41% of Labour voters think the Greens have some good ideas about how to run the country, one in four Conservative voters (24%) think the same.

Gender

	Agree	Disagree	Don’t know
Shops should put less emphasis on aiming some toys at girls and others at boys	44%	33%	23%
By travelling around Britain in a pink bus to try and attract female voters, the Labour Party is patronising women	56%	29%	15%

Base: All GB adults (n=2,017).

Half of women (52%) agree that shops should put less emphasis on aiming some toys at girls and others at boys, compared to around one in three men (36%)
Half of Labour voters agree (56%), compared to 24% who disagree. The opposite is true for UKIP voters (50% disagree, 31% agree). Conservative voters are split (37% agree, 43% disagree).
Nearly as many Labour voters agree as disagree (39% to 44%) that by travelling around Britain in a pink bus to try and attract female voters, the Labour Party is patronising women.
Men (55%) and women (57%) are equally likely to think the same.

Tax avoidance

	Agree	Disagree	Don’t know
There is little the government can do to stop large companies from moving their profits overseas to avoid paying tax in the UK	36%	41%	23%
The Government should have more powers for making sure large companies do not avoid paying tax in theUK	82%	6%	13%

Base: All GB adults (n=2,017).

At least 80% of voters of all political parties agree that the Government should have more powers for making sure large companies do not avoid paying tax in the UK (Conservatives 84%, Labour 87%, Liberal Democrat 84%, UKIP 87%).

Date Published: 14th February 2015

Categories: Politics | UK | Voting Intention

Client: Sunday Mirror / Independent on Sunday

Methodology

ComRes interviewed 2,017 GB adults online between 11th and 12th February 2015. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults. Data were also weighted by past vote recall. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.