2004–2019
The Audit of Political Engagement was a time-series study providing an annual benchmark to measure political engagement in Great Britain. The study gauged public opinion about politics and the political system and, more broadly, the general health of our democracy.
Conducted annually between 2004 and 2019, the Audit of Political Engagement was a time-series study that provided an annual benchmark to measure political engagement in Great Britain. Each Audit provided a snapshot of public perceptions of, and engagement with, politics at a given moment in time.
The only annual health check on public attitudes towards politics in Great Britain, each Audit was based on the findings from a face-to-face public opinion survey carried out with a representative quota sample of adults aged 18+ across England, Scotland and Wales.
Six ‘core indicator’ questions were asked in each survey. These were supplemented by a range of thematic and topical questions, some of which were also asked each year and some of which were re-visited on two- or three-year cycles.
The six ‘core indicators’ measured: certainty to vote; interest in politics; knowledge of politics and Parliament; satisfaction with the system of governing; and people’s sense of political efficacy – the extent to which becoming politically involved can change things.
Data from the 2019 Audit of Political Engagement and Twitter show that, among people who use social media for politics, Labour is over-represented relative to Conservatives, and Remainers relative to Leavers – but, in the European elections run-up, content from the Brexit Party is shared more than content from the 'Remain' parties combined.
This post rounds up the wide range of responses to our 2019 Audit of Political Engagement made in the first week after its publication. The post focuses on several commentators who offered considered rather than purely alarmist responses to the Audit’s finding of majority support for a 'strong leader willing to break the rules'.
The latest annual Audit of Political Engagement shows opinions of the system of governing are at their lowest point in 15 years - worse now than in the aftermath of the MPs' expenses scandal. The public are pessimistic about the country's problems and their solution, with sizeable numbers willing to entertain radical political changes as a result.
Robert Halfon MP explores the "shocking" findings in the 2018 Audit of Political Engagement and explains how he is aiming to repair the "rusty and breaking" chain of accountability between voters, MPs and government.
New analysis of 15 years of our Audit of Political Engagement data shows how geography is an important factor in determining whether citizens feel they have influence on decision-making at the national level, even when other key factors that influence political engagement - such as education and social class - are taken into account.
