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Universities UK / WonkHE – MPs survey – April 2019

A survey of MPs on universities
  • Overall, half of MPs (50%) are most interested in hearing about universities’ activities relating to widening participation and improving social mobility in their communications.
  • Over three in five Labour MPs (63%) say they are most interested in hearing about universities’ activities relating to widening participation and improving social mobility in their communications.
  • Nearly half of Conservative MPs (45%) are most interested in hearing about employability of graduates in communications from universities.
  • Overall, according to MPs, the top priorities for universities in spending funding gained through tuition fees and government grants are: developing new courses to respond to changing skills needs in the UK (53%), improving teaching quality (52%), and conducting world-class research (45%).
  • Half of Labour MPs think that universities should prioritise spending funding gained through tuition fees and government grants on initiatives to increase the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds entering higher education (51%) and supporting all students throughout their studies including mental health and disability provision (49%). One in five Conservative MPs think the same (22% and 21% respectively).
  • Half of MPs that voted Remain (47%) think that universities should prioritise spending funding gained through tuition fees and government grants on initiatives to increase the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds entering higher education, in comparison to just one in five MPs who voted Leave (17%).
  • Half of MPs that voted Leave (53%) think that universities should prioritise spending funding gained through tuition fees and government grants on collaborating with business and industry, in comparison to just one in five MPs who voted Remain (20%).
  • Overall, one in five MPs (20%) say they have visited a university in a professional capacity within the last month

Date Published: 17/05/2019

Categories: GB | Policy Makers | Social

Client: UUK / WonkHE

Methodology

ComRes interviewed 138 MPs online and self-completion paper survey fieldwork: 27th March 2019 – 10th May 2019. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of the House of Commons by party and region. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

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