By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk
Ed Miliband has seen a sharp decline in his approval rating among LabourList readers in the last month. 12% of readers still consider him to be doing an “excellent” job (-2% on last month), but the biggest change is in the percentage of readers who consider his performance “good” – down 9% to 35%. After a strong surge in January, Miliband’s performance is now rated at 2010 levels again, suggesting that an early 2011 bump hasn’t been retained. There has also been a rise in the percentage of readers who consider his performance “poor” – up 7% to 20%. This drops to 17% when non-Labour members are excluded.
Ed Balls retains his position as the most popular member of the shadow cabinet, with 85% of readers viewing him positively. As in previous months, Burnham and Cooper are the only other members of the shadow cabinet who come close to Balls’ popularity.
The battle for the hearts and minds of Labour supporters over AV is practically a dead heat. So far the Yes and No camps have taken turns at leading the way. Last month the No campaign were marginally ahead, but this time their lead has been slashed to just a fraction of 1% – with No on 40.3% and Yes on 40.1%. Labour votes will be crucial in the referendum, yet so far it seems that neither side has made a definitive breakthrough as far as LabourList readers are concerned. Perhaps tellingly though, the percentage of “don’t know” and “won’t say” responses has declined since January.
The economy/employment is still the most pressing issue for LabourList readers, with 75% of respondents listing it as a main area of interest. Other than that only education, equality and health are backed by more than 50% of readers as key concerns.
659 LabourList readers voted in the survey, which ran from Friday 25th February – Tuesday 1st March. Thanks to all who took part.
Survey Results
How do you think Ed Miliband is performing as leader so far?
Excellent – 11.2%
Good – 35.2%
Fair – 33.3%
Poor – 20.3%
| What are your overall impressions of each shadow cabinet member? | |||
| Positive | Negative | Don’t know | |
| Harriet Harman | 63.8 | 19.3 | 18.8 |
| Yvette Cooper | 78.6 | 8.8 | 13.1 |
| Ed Balls | 85.0 | 12.8 | 2.5 |
| Sadiq Khan | 49.4 | 23.1 | 27.9 |
| Jim Murphy | 42.7 | 13.5 | 43.9 |
| John Denham | 52.9 | 11.3 | 35.9 |
| Douglas Alexander | 66.5 | 18.3 | 15.7 |
| John Healey | 41.9 | 15.0 | 44.1 |
| Andy Burnham | 80.7 | 8.9 | 10.4 |
| Caroline Flint | 43.4 | 27.9 | 29.8 |
| Maria Eagle | 22.8 | 13.9 | 63.8 |
| Meg Hillier | 11.8 | 12.8 | 75.9 |
| Mary Creagh | 23.3 | 11.9 | 65.1 |
| Liam Byrne | 34.3 | 29.0 | 36.9 |
| Shaun Woodward | 16.0 | 21.6 | 62.5 |
| Ann McKechin | 8.6 | 9.3 | 82.7 |
| Peter Hain | 43.6 | 22.5 | 35.0 |
| Ivan Lewis | 15.0 | 13.7 | 71.9 |
| Tessa Jowell | 42.7 | 23.8 | 34.0 |
| Angela Eagle | 35.9 | 12.4 | 52.4 |
| Rosie Winterton | 22.9 | 11.0 | 66.9 |
| Hilary Benn | 47.0 | 12.8 | 40.9 |
How will you vote in next year’s AV referendum?
Yes (In favour of AV) – 40.1%
No (Against AV / In favour of current system) – 40.3%
Don’t know – 17.0%
Won’t vote – 2.6%
Do you support some form of primary for selecting Labour Party candidates?
Yes – 44.8%
No – 35.0%
Don’t Know – 20.2%
What are your main areas of interest?
| Response Percent | |
| Crime / Justice | 28.9% |
| Culture | 27.5% |
| Defence | 14.5% |
| Economy / Employment | 75.0% |
| Education | 65.1% |
| Electoral Reform | 21.1% |
| Environment / Climate Change | 29.0% |
| Equality | 52.6% |
| Families | 25.7% |
| Health | 53.5% |
| Housing | 43.1% |
| International Development | 19.2% |
| International Relations | 26.5% |
| Immigration | 12.8% |
| Parliamentary / Constitutional Reform | 27.9% |
| Party Democracy | 31.2% |
| Taxation | 36.0% |
| Transport | 24.2% |
| Unions | 32.8% |
| Workers’ Rights | 48.5% |
More from LabourList
Andy Burnham manifesto: Greater Manchester mayor reveals three key election pledges in bid for third term
‘Labour should grasp the chance to secure EU visa deal for young workers’
‘How Labour could win a Milton Keynes majority for the first time in decades’