Understanding anti-politics in the UK
Executive Summary
Anti Politics has become a useless term, masking distinct forms of political dissatisfaction. Our data suggests that what we call "anti politics" actually comprises at least three distinct traits:
Cynicism: Common among older voters and Reform supporters, cynics believe politicians are out of touch, that they look out for themselves, that they just try to score points against one another.
Disassociation: The disassociated are frustrated by the results of the political system. Predominantly younger and somewhat more educated, they view political parties as interchangeable and their vote as inconsequential. They do not support a particular party but they are highly engaged in more oppositional or protest-oriented political actions.
Powerlessness: The powerless are most often thought of as ‘antipolitical’, they are disengaged and believe they lack influence over politics. They are often younger, less educated, and least inclined to vote. They, too, do not support a particular political party.
About 70% of the population scores high on at least one of these measures, indicating widespread disillusionment with politics for different reasons.
Introduction
“Corrupt." "Chaotic." "Shambles."
These unfiltered descriptions are not the rhetoric of radical protesters or angry commentators; they represent the candid assessments of UK adults from a recent Public First poll conducted just before the June 2024 election. When asked to describe British politics in a single word or phrase, these were the most frequently offered terms.
What one word or phrase would you use to describe politics in the UK these days?
The survey also measured public trust across various institutions. While the NHS maintained strong public confidence at 73%, followed by the military at 61% and the courts at 47%, political institutions scored notably lower. Only 15% of respondents expressed trust in politicians, 17% in cabinet ministers, and 23% in Parliament.
These figures are more than mere statistics; they are alarm bells signalling a democracy in distress. The UK is witnessing a systematic erosion of public trust in its democratic institutions, marking a significant shift in the relationship between citizens and their political representatives. What began as mild scepticism in the early 2000s has hardened into deep-seated disillusionment, amplified by major events such as the 2008 financial crisis, Brexit, and more recently, the Partygate scandal.
This lack of faith has translated into a loud chorus calling for substantial changes in the political system, with many citizens expressing vague but urgent demands for "something" to change or calling for "actions over words." The sources of this dissatisfaction are diverse—some blame short-termism in decision-making, others criticise the perceived lack of distinction between major political parties, and many feel that politicians are out of touch with everyday life. Perhaps most concerning is the increasing number of people who are questioning the very value of voting itself.
Though these grievances are often grouped under the umbrella of "anti-political" sentiment, they reflect a complex web of frustrations that demand closer scrutiny. Public First's research conducted prior to the 2024 General Election aimed to dissect these layers of discontent and explore how political leaders might effectively address them.
Naturally, the context of “anti-politics” has been anything but static since this research started. Labour's victory in the general election led to a temporary rise in optimism about the country's future, increasing from 31% to 45%. Yet even in the wake of this electoral success, scepticism persisted. Many voters remained doubtful that any political party—including Labour—could deliver meaningful change. The surge in popularity of Reform UK and independents further highlighted a deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the political status quo. For the first time since 2001, voter turnout fell below 60%, with Labour securing a substantial majority in Parliament despite a decrease in total votes compared to 2019.
For democracy to function effectively, people must have confidence that politicians are making decisions in the public interest or at least acting in accordance with their own perceptions of what is right. Addressing this widespread disillusionment necessitates a focused understanding of anti-political sentiment—that is, comprehending the full extent of how and why the political system is perceived to have fallen short.
What is Anti-politics?
The term "anti-politics" is increasingly becoming unhelpful, as it encompasses a wide and often contradictory spectrum of attitudes and behaviours toward political institutions and processes. It can refer to anything from the widespread dissatisfaction described earlier, to declining voter turnout, to active protest movements or support for fringe figures.
To move beyond this conceptual ambiguity, we conducted a nationally representative online survey of 2,009 UK adults. Central to this survey was what we refer to as the Anti-Political Attitudes Scale, which aimed to capture a range of anti-political sentiments. Specifically, participants were asked to rate their agreement with 21 different statements on a seven-point scale, from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." These statements explored various dimensions of engagement (e.g., "It is silly not to vote in elections") and perception towards the political process and politicians (e.g., "Politicians are out of touch with people like me").
Methodological Note
To explore the underlying structure in responses to our "anti-political" statements, we employed two complementary statistical techniques: Principal component Analysis(PCA) and Cluster Analysis.
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a dimensionality reduction technique used to simplify complex datasets by identifying the main patterns of variation. It is particularly useful when dealing with many related variables, as it transforms them into a smaller set of uncorrelated factors called principal components. In practical terms, rather than analysing each individual statement, PCA allowed us to group responses into broader themes that capture the main types of attitudes expressed by respondents. Each respondent received a score for each component, similar to a report card, showing how closely their views align with each trait. This range of scores reflects the spectrum of attitudes among participants, from low to high alignment with each trait. In the context of our research, PCA allowed us to condense the 21 statements on our scale into three key components that encapsulate the primary patterns of anti-political sentiment among UK adults.
We subsequently applied clustering techniques to categorise respondents into three intensity levels—high, medium, and low—within each identified component. This combination of PCA and clustering enabled us to capture both the central themes and the varying degrees to which different respondent groups express these attitudes. The analysis revealed three distinct but interrelated traits of anti-political attitudes, which exist on a spectrum. In the sections that follow, we focus on individuals at the higher end of this spectrum, where these traits are most prominent. Overall, around 70% of the surveyed population exhibits one or more anti-political traits, suggesting a significant undercurrent of distrust and disengagement with the political system and its representatives among the British public.
How Does Anti-politics Actually Manifest?
Cynicism
The first identified trait is a relatively common “cynicism” toward the political system, with nearly half of the British public exhibiting this trait at high levels. Cynical individuals generally believe that politicians are disconnected from ordinary people, self-serving, and more focused on scoring political points than on meaningful change. Among those with high levels of cynicism, 32% report a strong dislike for how politics operates, which acts as a significant barrier to their active engagement. This group tends to approach politics with strategic pragmatism, and without deep institutional commitment. A large majority (80%) of highly cynical individuals report they have never and would never consider activities like donating to campaigns, joining a political party, or canvassing. However, they are more likely to engage in indirect forms of participation, such as encouraging others to vote (61%) and contacting government officials (55%). In terms of media consumption, highly cynical individuals tend to rely on institutional sources, with 62% regularly watching national TV news broadcasts.
Dissociation
The second trait identified is a sense of dissociation from politics as it currently stands. Individuals exhibiting this trait tend to believe that political parties are essentially indistinguishable, that their vote has little impact, that people generally vote along social lines, and that the absence of the UK Government would not significantly affect their daily lives. Despite this perceived detachment, these individuals are highly engaged politically. They are notably more inclined to share political content on social media (45%) and to participate in or consider participating in protests (47%). Additionally, two in five have either boycotted or are open to boycotting elections and other political activities. Interestingly, those who score higher on dissociation often report that their reason for not getting more involved in traditional politics is because they already feel deeply engaged (20% of those with high levels of dissociation), suggesting that their engagement may take non-traditional forms outside of mainstream political structures.
Powerlessness
While apathy is often emphasised as a core trait of anti-political sentiment, only a small segment of the population (23%) truly fits this description. The third trait we identified is a sense of powerlessness within the political system, marked by disengagement and disinterest. Individuals expressing high levels of powerlessness typically feel that no political party represents them, that they lack the power to influence politics, and they are more likely to disagree with statements like “it is silly not to vote in elections.” The stronger someone’s sense of powerlessness, the more likely they are to avoid political involvement due to lack of interest or because they find it unengaging. Less than one-third of those in this category felt confident they would vote in the upcoming election, and around half (51%) have never and would not consider encouraging others to vote. Among this group, where political discussion is infrequent, only 19% report never discussing politics, indicating that while they may feel detached, some level of political conversation still persists.
Who is “anti-political”?
Anti-political sentiments are prevalent at varying levels across the British population. But are these attitudes equally shared across different demographics? The findings indicate little differences in attitudes based on social grade, gender, and region. There is, however, some stratification across age groups and education levels.
Younger individuals tend to express greater dissociation and powerlessness compared to older individuals.The average age of those feeling highly dissociated is 38, with nearly half of 18-24-year-olds exhibiting high levels of dissociation. Similarly, 43% of 25-34-year-olds report high levels of powerlessness. In contrast, what we refer to as cynicism is more commonly expressed among older adults, with 60% of 55-64-year-olds expressing high levels of cynicism, compared to just 29% of 18-24-year-olds.
More educated individuals, on average, tend to feel more politically dissociated than those with less education, with 33% of degree-holders expressing high levels of dissociation compared to 24% among non-degree-holders. Conversely, those with lower levels of education are more likely to feel powerless and cynical; 49% of individuals without a degree reported high levels of cynicism, in contrast to 39% of degree-holders.
It is useful to view these anti-political traits as somewhat separate from traditional political ideologies and partisanship. Cynicism, for instance, can be found across both left- and right-leaning positions. Nonetheless, some connections between anti-political attitudes and vote intentions emerged. Before the election, Labour appeared to be the default choice across the anti-political spectrum. However, higher levels of cynicism correlate with increased support for more radical or unconventional parties; 15% of highly cynical respondents backed Reform UK, a figure comparable to Conservative support within this group. For those with high dissociation, voting is often pragmatic or socially driven rather than based on strong party loyalty, as shown by increased agreement with statements like, “I really prefer another party, but it doesn’t have a chance of winning in my constituency,” and, “I plan to vote Labour because most people around me do”. Feelings of powerlessness, on the other hand, are linked to higher rates of non-voting behaviour (14%) and indecision (14% reporting “don’t know”), indicating that political apathy and uncertainty are prevalent among those who feel their influence on the system is limited.
Our findings demonstrate the complexity of anti-political sentiment in the UK and reveal how deeply embedded these attitudes have become. Contrary to the frequent emphasis on political apathy, only a small segment of the population is truly indifferent. Rather, "anti-politics" comprises at least three distinct but overlapping traits. Some individuals, driven by detachment, selectively oppose specific elements of the political system, while others, motivated by cynicism, actively critique and seek to reform a system they perceive as misaligned with their values and interests. These individuals are not rejecting politics itself; but rather the current political system. In this sense, anti-political sentiment might paradoxically represent a highly political stance. As this wave of anti-politics continues to reshape Britain's political landscape, commentators must avoid both dismissing it as a fringe phenomenon and conflating distinct forms of political dissociation, cynicism, and powerlessness.
