The Popularity of British Prime Ministers

Denver, David and Garnett, Mark (2012) The Popularity of British Prime Ministers. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 14 (1). pp. 57-73. ISSN 1369-1481

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Abstract

Prime ministers have been crucial figures in British politics for nearly three centuries and the media now give them more prominence than ever. Polling data on prime ministerial popularity suggest that there has been an increasing tendency for voters to take a negative view of the incumbent prime minister. Moreover, almost every post-war premier has left office less popular than when he or she took over. This trend has not affected opposition leaders, however. Despite the fact that they dominate media coverage of British politics, voters' reactions to prime ministers are less good predictors of party preferences than appraisals of the general competence of the government. This suggests that while valence theorists are right to draw attention to the role of party leaders as a means of providing voters with a ‘short cut’ in decision-making, the importance of leader evaluations should not be exaggerated.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
British Journal of Politics and International Relations
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/politicsandinternationalrelations
Subjects:
?? prime ministersopinion pollsvotingpolitics and international relationspolitical science and international relationsmanagement, monitoring, policy and lawjn101 great britain ??
ID Code:
56620
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
15 Aug 2012 11:11
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
12 Dec 2023 15:20