Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now have carried out major new research of British political attitudes, to see what Britons think about political questions in an increasingly complex political landscape, shaped by cultural divides, economic problems and questions about individual freedom.
Fieldwork was conducted from 16 February to 2 March 2026, with a sample size of over 5,300 people.
Read the full Three-D Politics 2026 report here.
Our poll shows that Reform supporters, by and large, sit to the right on economic issues and are no more left-wing economically than Conservative supporters.
When asked whether they would "rather have a smaller government with lower taxes, providing fewer services, or a bigger government with higher taxes, providing more services," over half (57pc) of Reform supporters preferred a smaller government, compared with 41pc of Conservative supporters.
With UK government debt at around £2.9 trillion and public finances stretched, Reform voters are also committed to maintaining a balanced budget. A majority (79pc) agree the government should spend no more than it receives in taxes, similar to Conservative supporters (73pc).
Our research attaches an overall economic score to each voter ranging from −100pc (very left-wing economically) to +100pc (very right-wing economically). Current Reform supporters score +34pc (economically right-wing), which is very slightly more right-wing than Conservative supporters whose average score is +32pc.
The chart below shows the average scores for current supporters (as at March 2026) of the five main national parties. There are two dimensions: the economic axis goes from left to right, and the cultural axis goes up and down.
This shows current voting intention as of March 2026, rather than how respondents voted in the last general election. The cultural axis is also on a left-right scale and measures attitudes to social issues such as immigration, colonialism and multiculturalism.
Farage's own economic position is a mixture of free-market and state interventions, with a new commitment to retain the expensive pensions triple lock. However, it's clear that many Reform voters lean to the right on the economy, creating a gap between his stance and that of his core supporters. This difference raises questions about whether his economic message will resonate with the base that has been driving the party's growth.
The traditional left-right spectrum has long been used to understand political attitudes in Britain, but it's becoming less effective at capturing how people actually think. Voters increasingly combine positions that don't sit neatly within a single ideological camp, reflecting a more complicated political landscape.
As a result, understanding public opinion requires looking beyond party labels and focusing on underlying attitudes. Electoral Calculus has analysed responses to questions across three key axes: economic, cultural and liberty. We've also applied cluster analysis to identify seven political tribes that better reflect the range of political attitudes within the UK electorate today. These are:
| Tribe | Economic | Cultural | Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Left | Very Left-wing | Very Leftist | Mildly Regulated |
| Centrist | Mildly left-wing | Mildly Leftist | Neutral |
| Hands Off | Neutral | Neutral | Very Free |
| Somewhere | Neutral | Very Rightist | Neutral |
| Paternalist | Right-wing | Rightist | Very Regulated |
| Kind Capitalist | Very Right-wing | Mildly Leftist | Neutral |
| Strong Right | Very Right-wing | Very Rightist | Free |
A key finding shows another big difference between left and right. The right is spread across a number of distinct ideological groups rather than coming together behind one shared centre of gravity whereas the left are more tightly clustered.
On the right, the tribes take different positions from each other on every axis. The Somewheres are more left-wing economically than the others, the Kind Capitalists are more culturally left-wing, and the Paternalists are more authoritarian on the liberty axis.
The Strong Right scores 74pc economically and 81pc on culture and +22pc on liberty, firmly right across the board. While the Kind Capitalists sit at 53pc economically they drop to −25pc culturally, having far more socially liberal views than the Strong Right. The Paternalists are quite right-wing economically at 33pc but sit on the opposite side of the liberty debate at −48pc, showing a strong preference for regulation and state intervention compared with the other right-wing tribes. So any two people on the "right" would be quite likely to disagree on at least one dimension: economics, culture or liberty.
The left, on the other hand, is much more unified, with supporters tending to follow a firmer party line on political views. The Strong Left clusters tightly around issues like racism, anti-colonialism, anti-capitalism and equality. When asked whether multiculturalism has been helpful or hurtful to the UK, 93pc of the Strong Left said it has been helpful. This compares to a far more mixed picture on the right, where 80pc of the Strong Right say it has been unhelpful, but over half of Kind Capitalists (56pc) say it has been helpful, and more Paternalists than not also view it positively.
The Hands Off tribe is an important, but often ignored group. They feel there is too much politics going on these days, and want politicians to stay firmly out of their everyday lives.
They are largely uninterested in politics, focusing instead on getting on with daily life without interference from the state. However, while they are generally apathetic towards politics, they have strong views when it comes to personal freedom and limiting government reach.This comes through clearly on liberty questions. When asked whether schools should be able to decide what is best for children's welfare even against parents' wishes, 87pc of this group disagree, compared with 49pc of the public overall. Concerns about state intervention also show up clearly in their views on surveillance, with 69pc saying there is too much government monitoring going on compared with 42pc of all voters. On public health, 64pc also oppose making vaccinations compulsory, compared with 21pc of the public.
Strip it back, and they're not driven by ideology so much as a simple demand: leave us alone and let us get on with it.
Martin Baxter, founder of Electoral Calculus, said
"Our figures show Reform supporters hold broadly right-wing economic views, but Nigel Farage seems to have moderated his own free-market instincts to court ex-Labour voters. Even as Reform support has grown since 2024, our evidence suggests its newer supporters are about as right-wing as its general election voters."
"Our research sheds a fascinating spotlight on British political attitudes by revealing the ideological unity of the left compared with the right. On the left, the years of so-called 'woke' and 'cancel culture' have either convinced or coerced people to toe the party line. But on the right, opinions vary widely across economic, cultural and liberty issues."
Tyron Surmon, Head of Research at Find Out Now said:
"Left and right are useful shorthands, but they fail to capture the nuance of how people from within each bloc differ from each other. This research makes up for that. Particularly striking is how Reform voters are actually more economically right-wing than Conservatives, and that right-wing voters are much more ideologically fragmented than left-wing ones – our findings challenge the usual understandings of political attitudes in Britain today"Find Out Now polled 5,599 GB adults online between 27 March and 7 April 2026. The sample was weighted to be representative by gender, age, social grade, other demographics and past voting patterns. Regression techniques were used to infer projected seat results.
Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus are both members of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules.
Data tables are available here, including full list of seats.
Electoral Calculus is a pollster and political consultancy specialising in quantitative analysis and modelling for electoral and other market research projects. Its pre-poll prediction for the 2019 general election was the most accurate published forecast. It was founded by Martin Baxter, its CEO.
Electoral Calculus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
Find Out Now is a polling and market research panel with 2.8 million members. Highly profiled respondents can be targeted instantly, with over 100,000 daily responses allowing the delivery of same-day nationally representative sampling.
Find Out Now are members of the British Polling Council and Market Research Society, and abide by their rules.