ICM Poll on Party Funding 2006

The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Ltd, concerned about the health of grassroots politics and how state funding could be used to revitalise local parties, commissioned a recent opinion poll on party funding .

There is clear evidence of public dissatisfaction with the current system of funding political parties, with 60% of respondent agreeing that it is “unfair”. Other key findings include:

  • There is strong support for a cap on how much people can donate to political parties, with 59% of respondents backing this – a majority of more than two-to-one over those who opposed it (24%).
  • Opposition to state funding is not as strong as is commonly believed. Forty one percent of respondents agree that political parties with significant public support should be provided with public funds to reduce their dependency on donations from wealthy individuals, trade unions and businesses. Only 36% disagree.
  • If there is to be increased state funding for political parties, there is overwhelming support for this funding being targeted to support local activity by parties. Fifty nine percent support this, against less than one fifth who oppose it (18%).

ICM Poll on Party Funding 2006 - Main Findings 98KB

ICM Poll on Party Funding 2006 - Key Results 17KB
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