Tuesday 9th February 2010 | 12:00

New Poll: Public divided on change to voting system

New research from PoliticsHome suggests that the public are divided on the alternative vote system, with about a fifth undecided. Voters tend to think electoral reform is a relatively unimportant issue and are cynical about Gordon Brown's motivations for backing a referendum.

New PoliticsHome research suggests that the public are divided on whether introducing an alternative vote electoral system would be a good idea, with about a fifth of voters currently undecided on the issue.

There is a slight tendency to oppose the system recently backed by Gordon Brown (by a margin of 53 per cent to 47 per cent, among those who said would vote and expressed a definite view) but the relatively large proportion of people (nineteen per cent) who are currently unsure means that this is stil very much a live issue with no consensus yet emerging. 

In other results from the poll:

On the question of why Gordon Brown changed his mind on electoral reform:

70% of people think that Brown changed his mind through political calculation; 8% believe he is genuinely convinced of the merits of electoral reform

On the importance of electoral reform as a national issue:

20% see electoral reform as one of the more important issues facing the country, 74% see electoral reform as one of the less important issues facing the country

On support for the referendum itself:

20% support the referendum in its current form; 29% think there should be no referendum at all; 40% believe that the referendum should have a wider range of options.

Before answering the questions, respondents were given this explanation of the AV system:

'Next week MPs will vote on whether a referendum should be held soon after the next election on changing the voting system. It is proposed that the current 'first past the post' system (where voters choose one candidate and the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins) could be replaced by an alternative vote (AV) system (where voters rank the candidates in order of preference and votes are redistributed until one candidate gains an outright majority (i.e. more than 50%)). Supporters of the AV system argue that it ensures a greater consensus on the winning candidate and allows people whose first choice vote cannot win in their constituency to have a say in the outcome. Its opponents say that it does little to make the system truly representative, it penalises independently minded individuals and favours bland 'second choice' candidates.'

PoliticsHome interviewed 1,191 adults by email between 5-8 February 2010.  Results are weighted by party ID to reflect the population of Great Britain.  Full data tables are available on request.