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Study shows that voters in Liberal Democrat seats trust their MPs more

December 22, 2014 1:40 PM
In Liberal Democrat Voice
Originally published by East Midlands Liberal Democrats

Mike Smithson at Political Betting talks about data from the British Election Study that shows how well thought of MPs are in their own constituencies. Liberal Democrat MPs come out well on top, being much more liked even among opponents than their Tory and Labour counterparts. His graph illustrates thus:

LD MPs wider respectedAs Smithson puts it:

The chart shows views of those in LAB/CON and LD-held seats and highlights the split between those who say they will vote for their incumbent (supporters) and those who won't (opponents).

As can be seen there was a markedly different response pattern from those in CON and LAB held seats and those in LD ones. Even opponents in the latter had a net negative of just 4.4%.

Another interesting finding was whether voters knew the name of their MP. Of those with Labour MPs, under 70% knew his/her while for Tories, the figure was just over 70%. But of those with LD MPs, the name recognition level was 82%.

This knowledge isn't new, and the Lib Dem incumbency bonus is about to be tested like never before, but knowing that our MPs are so highly thought of is a definite advantage as we enter the fight of our lives.