Populus Unveils Political 'Portrait'

UK-based research and consulting firm Populus has developed a new political classification system to determine which voters matter to which party, and identify the issues that are most likely to influence individuals in the 2015 general election.

The system, called 'A Portrait of Political Britain', categorises voters not according to traditional criteria such as class, gender or region, but according to their shared values, attitudes and perspectives. Based on a nationwide poll of more than 4,000 people, the segmentation breaks down the British electorate into clusters based on similar attitudes to business and government; inequality, immigration, and social change; progress and social mobility; and their current lives and future prospects.

Populus says the resulting six groups provide a 'new way of looking at the voters that matter' and help to make sense of some of the debates currently raging in Westminster. While many Tory voters fall into the 'Comfortable Nostalgia' category, Populus says it is possible to find a small number of Labour supporters among them. Similarly, while Tories are thin on the ground in the 'Long-term Despair' and 'Cosmopolitan Critics' groups, the company says they do exist.

Commenting on the new classification system, Director Rick Nye explains: 'The Portrait is rooted in the way people actually live their lives, form their views, and make critical decisions such as how to vote. It aims to sketch the psychological battleground that will determine the result of the election in 2013. And it seeks to explain what the key swing voters look like, what is likely to move them, and where they fit in to the main parties' broader coalition of likely voters.'

The company has linked up with 'free market-focussed' think tank the Policy Exchange to launch the Portrait at a series of 'fringe' events taking place at this year's party conferences.

Web site: www.populus.co.uk .