Friday 01 November 1996
Results based on 772 interviews with women aged 18+ in 50 constituency sampling points across Great Britain.
Interviews conducted on 6-8 November 1996.
Technical details
- Results based on 772 interviews with women aged 18+ in 50 constituency sampling points across Great Britain.
- Interviews conducted on 6-8 November 1996.
- Base, all unless stated.
- Data weighted to known profile of women in Great Britain
- All figures are percentages
Q1 How would you vote if there was a General Election tomorrow?
(If undecided or refused at Q1)
Q2 Which party are you most inclined to support?
| | % |
|---|
| Conservative | 36 |
| Labour | 47 |
| Liberal Democrats (Lib Dem) | 11 |
| Scottish/Welsh Nationalist | 3 |
| Green Party | 2 |
| Referendum Party | * |
| Other | * |
| Would not vote | 7 |
| Undecided | 8 |
| Refused | 3 |
Q3 Which of the words and phrases on this list would you use to describe …
| | John Major | Tony Blair | Paddy Ashdown |
|---|
| | % | % | % |
|---|
| Family man | 28 | 30 | 13 |
| Sincere | 23 | 15 | 18 |
| Capable | 18 | 18 | 15 |
| Honourable | 18 | 10 | 15 |
| Trustworthy | 16 | 12 | 16 |
| Smarmy | 15 | 24 | 9 |
| Devious | 15 | 9 | 6 |
| Self-important | 13 | 17 | 12 |
| Unprincipled | 10 | 4 | 4 |
| Bossy | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Religious | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Attractive | 2 | 13 | 7 |
| Inspiring | 2 | 8 | 6 |
| None of these | 8 | 3 | 8 |
| Don't know | 5 | 8 | 17 |
Q4 On balance do you think the wives of the party leaders should be actively involved in the election campaign, or not?
| | % |
|---|
| Should be involved | 55 |
| Should not be involved | 39 |
| Don't know | 6 |
Q5 Which of the words and phrases on this list would you use to describe …
| | Norma Major | Cherie Blair | Jane Ashdown |
|---|
| | % | % | % |
|---|
| Attractive | 8 | 14 | 4 |
| Interfering | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| An asset to her husband's party | 25 | 19 | 7 |
| Independent | 11 | 20 | 4 |
| Family minded | 38 | 14 | 13 |
| Old fashioned | 30 | 2 | 6 |
| Sincere | 22 | 6 | 6 |
| Intelligent | 20 | 28 | 6 |
| Career minded | 5 | 34 | 3 |
| None of these | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Don't know | 11 | 27 | 61 |
Q6 In general, do you think women and men look for different things when they vote for a political party, or not?
| | % |
|---|
| Yes, look for different things | 78 |
| No, do not look for different things | 18 |
| Don't know | 4 |
Q7 Given a choice, would you prefer to have a man or a woman as your MP or does it make no difference?
| | % |
|---|
| Man | 17 |
| Woman | 11 |
| No difference | 72 |
| Don't know | * |
Q8 Generally speaking, which of the main political parties has the best policies for women in Britain, the Conservatives, Labour or the Liberal Democrats?
| | % |
|---|
| Conservatives | 15 |
| Labour | 31 |
| Liberal Democrats | 10 |
| None of them | 14 |
| Don't know | 30 |
Q9 Do you think Britain's abortion law should be changed to make it more difficult for women to obtain an abortion, changed to make it easier for women to obtain an abortion or should it be left as it is?
| | % |
|---|
| Make it more difficult | 24 |
| Make it easier | 13 |
| Leave it as it is | 57 |
| Don't know | 6 |
Q10 How important to you, if at all, is the issue of abortion in deciding which party to vote for?
| | % |
|---|
| Very important | 15 |
| Fairly important | 22 |
| Not very important | 27 |
| Not at all important | 32 |
| Don't know | 4 |