Conference season is a time for parties to confront big issues.
How the Liberal Democrats can differentiate themselves in Britain’s increasingly fragmented political system is one such issue the party must consider this weekend.
More in Common's research reveals a perceived failure to set out what the party would do differently is the second largest barrier stopping more people from voting Liberal Democrat, behind only the party’s low chances of winning power nationally.
More in Common’s Green Foundations report with Liberals and Democrats for Nature and Climate indicates developing and emphasising the party’s pro-environment policies could play an important part in addressing voters’ frustration.
Green Foundations is one of the most extensive studies of Liberal Democrat voters’ environmental attitudes. It combines focus groups of Liberal Democrat voters in Wokingham and North Cornwall with extensive polling. It found 2024 Lib Dem voters are almost twice as likely as the general public to believe climate change and the environment is one of the most important issues facing Britain and that for one in three Lib Dem voters, at least one of the party’s environmental policies was a top reason for backing the party last year. Lib Dem voters also overwhelmingly want their local MPs to use their time in Parliament to champion environmental action. This prioritisation of environmental issues is common to both Lib Dem voters inside and outside the constituencies won by the party.
Public perceptions of Labour and the Conservatives’ environmental records are particularly poor. Yet few Britons, just 5%, think the Liberal Democrats best represent their views on environmental issues. Even among those who voted Liberal Democrat, less than two fifths hold this view.
These perceived weak environmental credentials stem from a lack of familiarity with the Lib Dems’ environmental offer. Awareness of the Liberal Democrats’ environmental policies is lower than all the other policy areas tested, among both Britons overall and Lib Dem voters.
Significant electoral rewards can be earned if the Liberal Democrats can successfully develop and articulate a distinctive approach on the environment. Our policy conjoint experiment showed presenting voters with the party’s existing environmental policies is a significantly more effective way of securing voters’ support than presenting them with the anti-President Trump positioning the party has deployed with vigour.
The political opportunity the environment presents for the Liberal Democrats is significant and our Green Foundations report provides rich insights on how to seize this for those debating the party’s green policies this weekend.