Andy Burnham is the most popular party leader among young people, new polling has revealed, but more Gen Z voters would vote for the Green Party than Labour.
Ipsos data, revealed in a fringe event at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, showed that 39 per cent of young people are satisfied with the prime minister, with Green leader Zack Polanski trailing marginally behind at 33 per cent.
A total of 28 per cent said they were dissatisfied with the Makerfield MP and 36 per cent said they were dissatisfied with Mr Polanski, who is hoping to be elected as Holborn and St Pancras’s MP next month.
However, Mr Burnham’s government is less popular than he is, with just 22 per cent approving of it and 68 per cent dissatisfied.
And, despite the former mayor of Greater Manchester’s personal popularity, more young people would cast their vote for Mr Polanski’s party than Labour.
If there were a general election tomorrow, 33 per cent of young people would vote Green, with 28 per cent voting for Labour.
This is a marked shift from the 2024 general election, when 41 per cent voted for what was then Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party and 19 per cent voted Green, according to Ipsos.
Ipsos’ survey of Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) British adults from July to August this year found that their concerns are largely in line with the rest of the electorate. Inflation, the cost of living, and housing are the key issues for them.
Just under half – 49 per cent – of young people said inflation and the cost of living would help decide which party they would vote for, with 46 per cent saying the NHS and 39 per cent saying housing.
However, they are less concerned about immigration than the rest of the public, with 34 per cent citing it as a key issue, compared with 51 per cent of the whole population.
With all British adults, Ipsos’ polling shows the party has enjoyed a “Burnham bounce” – turning a 4.5-point deficit in the two months before he assumed leadership into a 3.5-point lead in the two months following.
However, much of this has been through recovering its support from those who voted for Labour in the 2024 general election, with rising from 49 per cent in the two months before to 61 per cent in the two months following.
That time has also seen a drop in the percentage of the country who are dissatisfied with the government from 79 per cent to 70.
Mr Burnham, who announced business rate cuts for pubs in his first week as prime minister, also emerged as the politician that Britons would most want to go for a pint with.
More than a third – 34 per cent – said they would want to drink with the prime minister, putting him significantly ahead of Reform’s Nigel Farage at 19 per cent, Kemi Badenoch at 10 per cent and Mr Polanski at 8 per cent.
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