‘Disrupt or be disrupted’ mainstream parties warned as voters turn to populists
‘Disrupt or be disrupted’ mainstream parties warned as voters turn to populists
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Research shows voters losing faith in traditional centre-left and centre-right to deliver meaningful change. Voters in western democracies are turning away from mainstream political parties and towards populists because they are losing faith in their ability to implement meaningful change, a major report based on surveys of 12,000 voters has found.
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The popularity of traditional centre-left and centre-right parties across major democratic countries has plummeted from 73% in 2000 to 51% today, according to research by the Tony Blair Institute. Researchers looked in depth at the views of samples of 2,000 voters polled in each of six big democracies – the UK, US, Australia, Germany, France and Canada – and found they were “remarkably similar”.
![[A middle-aged couple, both with blond hair, hold Vote Reform signs; he carries England and union jack flags. Other people of varying ages, some holding signs, stand in the background on the seafront. ]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/60384ed1c06bdb2ec7920bb3d5b0e88e3e249e12/0_504_7558_4534/master/7558.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
They concluded that voters were increasingly turning away from centre-left and centre-right parties not for ideological reasons, but because confidence in their competence and integrity have plummeted. “Whatever voters are looking for, they increasingly seem to doubt that it can be delivered by the parties they have traditionally elected to office,” the report said.
In the TBI’s analysis, voters were divided into “insiders”, who were willing mainstream politicians to work, and “outsiders”, who have given up on traditional parties and turned to insurgents. Both groups wanted honesty, competence and reform – but the difference was in their faith in mainstream parties to deliver it, the thinktank said.
Outsiders felt they were victims of a system run by remote elites serving their own interests instead of implementing simple solutions to political problems. They placed greater value on “common sense” over independent evidence, and strong, decisive leaders over negotiation and compromise.
