Report highlights belief in donor influence on decision-making

Polling for an IPPR report on UK democracy has shown a collapse of public satisfaction in politicians, the current democratic system and the ability of voters to affect government decisions.

According to the research, only six per cent of the public believe that voters have the most powerful influence on government decision making, with around half of all adults (53 per cent) saying that party donors, businesses or lobby groups wield the greatest power.

Furthermore, almost four out of five people consider that politicians understand the lives of people like them ‘badly’ and fewer than one quarter of under-50s believe that democracy in Britain as a whole serves the interests of people like them well.

The Road to Renewal report of 3,442 adults argues for an urgent rethink of how democracy in the UK works, and also finds that people living in the least deprived neighbourhoods are 70 per cent more likely to say ‘democracy addresses their interests well’, while people aged over 65 are over twice as likely to say ‘democracy addresses their interests well’ compared to people aged 18 to 24.

IPPR also states that four times as many people believe ‘more decisions should be made by devolved and local governments’ than those who believe the government in Westminster should have more power.

Dr Parth Patel, IPPR Research Fellow, said: “In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine our leaders have lined up to champion liberal democracy. But the reality is that the battle for democracy needs not only to be won abroad, it must be won at home too. In truth, democracies have not been delivering well for their citizens. Politicians and parties are increasingly out of touch and the sway of ordinary citizens over public policy has declined. Many are opting out of political participation altogether, while large numbers have lent their support to populist challengers -- signs of a protest against ‘democracy as usual’.

“Mainstream political parties on both sides have chosen to imitate the divisive politics of populist challengers, rather than to tackle the underlying causes of democratic discontent. They must now take a long, hard look in the mirror and commit to meaningful reforms that put the voices of citizens back at the centre of democracy. 'Giving back control’ should be a dividing line at the next election.”