Almost half the people who voted Conservative in 2019 think young adults today have a better standard of living than their parents’ generation, while 2019 Labour and Liberal Democrat voters think young adults are worse off.

    

Source: YouGov survey of 2,054 adults. Fieldwork undertaken 15 – 16 May 2024.

 

2019 Conservative voters (48%) are more likely to believe young adults today have a better standard of living compared to 2019 Labour (24%) and Lib Dem (33%) voters. While three out of five Labour voters (61%) predominantly think it is worse, followed by just over half of those who voted Liberal Democrats (55%) in 2019 and two in five Conservatives (38%).

 

The majority of those who voted Conservative and Liberal Democrats in 2019 say they are better off than their parents’ generation, more so than past Labour voters.

Source: YouGov survey of 2,054 adults. Fieldwork undertaken 15 – 16 May 2024.

 

• 56% of people who voted Conservative in 2019 say they are better off than their parents’ generation

• Only 18% of 2019 Conservative voters say they are worse off, compared to 36% of Labour and 21% of Lib Dem voters

 

A majority of those who voted for Labour (63%) or the Liberal Democrats (49%) in 2019 think the Government is spending too little on younger generations, while 2019 Conservative voters are more likely to think that the Government spends about the right amount (37%) or too much (17%) on younger generations.

 

Source: YouGov survey of 2,054 adults. Fieldwork undertaken 15 – 16 May 2024.

 

However, people from all parties felt too little was spent on people aged 65 and over.

 

Source: YouGov survey of 2,054 adults. Fieldwork undertaken 15 – 16 May 2024.

 

And there is cross party agreement that government support for future generations of retirees will drop, with 2019 Labour voters (65%) being the most pessimistic.

 

Source: YouGov survey of 2,054 adults. Fieldwork undertaken 15 – 16 May 2024.

 

And people who voted Labour in 2019 are the most worried about their finances with well over half (55%) being more worried about not having enough money to live comfortably. The same percentage (55%) of past Labour voters are worried about not having enough money saved for retirement compared to those who voted Conservative (38%) and Liberal Democrat (42%) in 2019.

 

Concern	Conservative Voters (%)	Lib Dem Voters (%)	Labour Voters (%)
Not having enough money saved for retirement
Total Worried	38	42	55
Total Not Worried	43	47	35
Not having enough money to pay off credit card debt
Total Worried	16	19	24
Total Not Worried	54	66	50
Not having enough money to live comfortably
Total Worried	44	39	55
Total Not Worried	54	59	42
Not having enough money to pay rent/mortgage repayments
Total Worried	19	20	37
Total Not Worried	44	61	46
Not having enough money to support family members
Total Worried	26	26	42
Total Not Worried	54	61	44
Not having family members to rely on for support
Total Worried	22	24	34
Total Not Worried	59	64	53

Source: YouGov survey of 2,054 adults. Fieldwork undertaken 15 – 16 May 2024. Respondents could select more than one answer

 

 

When asked to what extent respondents would support or oppose certain policies, a majority of voters across all three parties:

• Supported increasing the level of the state pension

• Opposed increasing the state pension age

• Supported free adult social care

• Supported free childcare for pre-school children

 

 

Policy	Conservative Voters (%)	Lib Dem Voters (%)	Labour Voters (%)
Increasing the level of the state pension
Total Support	80	74	76
Total Oppose	6	7	6
Neither support nor oppose	15	19	17
Increasing the state pension age
Total Support	13	12	8
Total Oppose	68	71	80
Neither support nor oppose	19	18	11
Scrapping university tuition fees
Total Support	46	61	74
Total Oppose	28	18	9
Neither support nor oppose	25	21	18
Free adult social care
Total Support	72	80	86
Total Oppose	8	4	5
Neither support nor oppose	20	15	10
Abolishing inheritance tax
Total Support	69	58	46
Total Oppose	10	22	30
Neither support nor oppose	21	21	24
Free childcare for pre-school children
Total Support	60	72	84
Total Oppose	17	11	5
Neither support nor oppose	23	17	12

Source: YouGov survey of 2,054 adults. Fieldwork undertaken 15 – 16 May 2024. Respondents could select more than one answer

 

 

The survey asked respondents where they believe the government should increase spending if additional funds were available. Respondents could select up to three areas. The NHS was the number one spending priority for voters across all parties, with 69% of all respondents selecting the NHS in their top three. Social care is also highly prioritised, particularly among Lib Dem voters, reflecting widespread concern over healthcare services.

 

Source: YouGov survey of 2,054 adults. Fieldwork undertaken 15 – 16 May 2024. Respondents could select more than one answer

 

However, healthcare aside, the survey results illustrate clear differences in spending priorities based on voter behaviour in the 2019 General Election. Conservative voters prioritise crime prevention, defence, and pensions while Labour voters would like to see more investment in education, housing, and environmental issues.

 

Spending priority	2019 Conservative Voters (%)	2019 Lib Dem Voters (%)	2019 Labour Voters (%)
1. NHS	59	78	80
2. Social care	32	42	34
3. Education	23	32	32
4. Environment/Climate	15	31	28
5. Housing	14	19	35
6. Crime	33	18	16
7. Defence	35	22	5
8. Pensions	28	19	15
9. Housing	14	19	35
10. Infrastructure	19	10	11
11. Transport	9	4	10
12. Welfare Benefits	3	6	10

Source: YouGov survey of 2,054 adults. Fieldwork undertaken 15 – 16 May 2024. Respondents could select more than one answer

 

 

The survey highlights clear distinctions in the priorities and perceptions of those who voted for the Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrat party in the 2019 election. While there is a consensus on the importance of increasing the level of the state pension and supporting the NHS, there are significant differences in other areas such as university tuition fees, inheritance tax, and government spending priorities. Past labour voters are more concerned about financial security and social support, while past Conservative voters emphasise law and order and national security.