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You are here: News front page > The Political Pulse > Article



The Political Pulse

Latest opinion research and analysis from Mark Gettleson

Wednesday 24th August 2011 | 12:37

Lib-Con riot split

Over the weekend, YouGov polled five of the options suggested for dealing with rioters, looters and their families. There was near unanimous support for the more uncontroversial of these, outlined by the Deputy Prime Minister last week, of making rioters apologise in person to victims and forcing them to help repair the property they had damaged.

Though they found strong support overall, the idea of evicting rioters and looters from council properties and removing their benefits revealed a clear party split, with Conservative voters for more supportive of the proposals than Labour or Liberal Democrat supporters (for this exercised I’ve used current intention rather than 2010 vote). This divide becomes even clearer on the exceptionally controversial plans of councils like Conservative-run Wandsworth to evict the families of those involved in the violence: while the idea is slightly unpopular overall (receiving -8% net approval) and extremely so among Labour (-29%) and Liberal Democrat (-35%) voters, it is supported by Conservatives (+13%).

While the messages David Cameron has been sending out on behalf of the Government have tied into the attitudes of his own voters, Nick Clegg should be aware of this traditional liberal-conservative divide on whether the ‘sins of the child’ should apply in the punishments dished out. Interestingly, those who voted Liberal Democrat in 2010 are slightly less likely to oppose the idea of family eviction (-15% rather than -35%), suggesting that voters Nick Clegg has managed to keep hold of are the more socially liberal ‘true believers’. This surely makes getting the right tone on the riots all the more important for him?

YouGov also polled the four-year ‘facebook incitement’ sentences. Just 32% of the public thought the sentences were too harsh, continuing the widespread support for ‘getting tough’ we reported on last week.

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