The TNS-BMRB Policy Priority Index (PPI) asks people to rank
eight policy areas in terms of their relative importance in British
public life. When viewed by political affiliation the findings shed
light on the different priorities of Labour and Conservative party
supporters. In this context 'supporters' are defined as those who
say they would vote for the party "if an election were held
tomorrow".
The twin economic concerns of inflation and unemployment have
topped the PPI for both groups over the last year. Since October
2011, Labour supporters consistently cited unemployment as the
biggest policy challenge facing the UK, with inflation and rising
prices their second biggest concern. This gap was at its widest in
April 2012 after concerns about inflation dropped
significantly.
Conservatives have been less consistent in the importance they
ascribed to unemployment. In August 2011 it was ranked alongside
crime and the NHS as the second most important issue facing the
country. From August onwards it rose up the PPI and took the top
spot in November. Since November unemployment has gradually
declined in importance for Conservative voters and fell back into
second place in May, behind inflation.
Moving down the priority scale, there is further evidence of
traditional partisan policy divisions asserting themselves with
Labour supporters consistently placing support for the NHS third on
their list of priorities. Conservative supporters awarded a similar
PPI score to the NHS, but the issue has been outranked by the
importance they place on law and order issues.
That said, from January 2012 onwards the NHS has been
increasingly vying with crime for the third spot on Conservative
voters list of policy priorities, suggesting that how the
government handles their proposed health reforms is a matter of
significant importance to their party supporters.
Source: TNS