Referendum Experiments Wave 2
Q4 This survey follows up an earlier one you responded to in early March asking for your personal
opinions about the referendum on the British electoral system to be held on May 5. Now that the
referendum is about to take place, we would like to ask you some more questions. We are interested
in everyone’s opinions, not just those people interested in politics. This questionnaire should take no
more than twenty minutes and you can log off and log on again if you want to take a break. This
research is being conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter and is funded by the British
Academy. We are not associated with either the yes or no campaigns. For further information, please
contact Professor Jack Vowles (j.vowles@exeter.ac.uk)Q1 For purposes of easily monitoring the
composition of our second wave sample, please indicate if you are
 Male (1)
 Female (2)
Q5 Q2 Please indicate which age group you belong to.





18-29 (1)
30-39 (2)
40-49 (3)
50-65 (4)
66 and over (5)
Q1 Q3 How much have you heard about the referendum to be held on May 5 on whether or not Britain
should change its voting system for parliamentary elections from the current system of first-past-thepost to the alternative vote? Have you 



Heard a lot (1)
Heard a little (2)
Not heard much (3)
Not heard anything at all? (4)
Q14 Q4 The following question will be asked in the referendum. At present, the UK uses the first past
the post system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the Alternative Vote System be used
instead? If this voting system referendum were held today, would you vote for




The Alternative Vote (1)
First past the Post (2)
Don't know (3)
Don't intend to vote (4)
Q18 Q5 How likely are you to cast a vote in the referendum?





Very likely (1)
Somewhat liikely (2)
Not very likely (3)
Not at all likely (4)
Don't know (5)
Q19 Q6 Generally speaking, how much interest do you usually have in what’s going on in politics? Are
you




Very interested (1)
Somewhat interested (2)
Not very interested (3)
Not at all interested (4)
Q83 Q7 Have you seen a copy of the information booklet about AV produced by the Electoral
Commission?
 Yes (1)
 No (2)
 Don't know (3)
If No Is Selected, Then Skip To Have you seen the television advertis...If Don't know Is Selected, Then
Skip To Have you seen the television advertis...
Q84 Q7a Did you read the booklet very closely, somewhat closely, or not very closely?
 Very closely (1)
 Somewhat closely (2)
 Not very closely (3)
Q85 Q7b Did reading the booklet make you more or less likely to vote for AV?
 More likely to vote for AV (1)
 Less likely to vote for AV (2)
 Made no difference (3)
Q93 Q8 Have you seen the television advertisement for the 'Yes Campaign'?
 Yes (1)
 No (2)
 Don't know (3)
If No Is Selected, Then Skip To Have you seen the television advertis...If Don't know Is Selected, Then
Skip To Have you seen the television advertis...
Q94 Q8a Did it make you more or less likely to vote 'Yes', or did it make no difference?




No difference (1)
More likely (2)
Less likely (3)
Don't know (4)
Q95 Q9 Have you seen the television advertisement for the 'No' campaign?
 Yes (1)
 No (2)
 Don't know (3)
If No Is Selected, Then Skip To During the last few weeks, people hav...If Don't know Is Selected, Then
Skip To During the last few weeks, people hav...
Q96 Q9a Did it make you more or less likely to vote 'No', or did it make no difference?




No difference (1)
More likely (2)
Less likely (3)
Don't know (4)
Q3 During the last few weeks, people have been contacted about the referendum by various
groups.Q10 Have you been contacted by the 'Yes' Campaign?








No (1)
Telephone call (2)
Leaflets or other material delivered to your home (3)
Email or text message (4)
Visit to your home (5)
Contact on the street (6)
Facebook (7)
Twitter (8)
Q66 Q11 Have you been contacted by the 'No' Campaign?








No (1)
Telephone call (2)
Leaflets or other material delivered to your home (3)
Email or text message (4)
Visit to your home (5)
Contact on the street (6)
Facebook (7)
Twitter (8)
Q70 Q12 Has someone from the Labour Party contacted you about the referendum?








No (1)
Telephone call (2)
Leaflets or other material delivered to your home (3)
Email or text message (4)
Visit to your home (5)
Contact on the street (6)
Facebook (7)
Twitter (8)
If No Is Selected, Then Skip To Q3 Has someone from the Conservative ...
Q80 Q12a How did the person from the Labour Party want you to vote?
 First past the post (1)
 AV (2)
 Don't know (3)
Q71 Q13 Has someone from the Conservative Party contacted you about the referendum?








No (1)
Telephone call (2)
Leaflets or other material delivered to your home (3)
Email or text message (4)
Visit to your home (5)
Contact on the street (6)
Facebook (7)
Twitter (8)
If No Is Selected, Then Skip To Q3 Has someone from the Liberal Democ...
Q81 Q13a How did the person from the Conservative Party want you to vote?
 First past the post (1)
 AV (2)
 Don't know (3)
Q72 Q14 Has someone from the Liberal Democrats contacted you about the referendum?








No (1)
Telephone call (2)
Leaflets or other material delivered to your home (3)
Email or text message (4)
Visit to your home (5)
Contact on the street (6)
Facebook (7)
Twitter (8)
Q73 Q15 Has someone from any other group, organization, or party contacted you about the
referendum?








No (1)
Telephone call (2)
Leaflets or other material delivered to your home (3)
Email or text message (4)
Visit to your home (5)
Contact on the street (6)
Facebook (7)
Twitter (8)
If No Is Selected, Then Skip To End of Block
Q82 Q15a How did the person or people from any other group(s), organization(s) or party(ies) want you
to vote?




First past the post (1)
AV (2)
Contacted by more than one, some yes, some no (3)
Don't know (4)
Q16 Q16 Do you have local, assembly, or parliamentary elections on May 5 where you live?
 Yes (1)
 No (2)
 Don't know (3)
If No Is Selected, Then Skip To Q12 How much interest would you say y...
Q17 Q16a How likely are you to vote in one of those elections?





Very likely (1)
Somewhat Likely (2)
Not likely (3)
Not at all likely (4)
Don't know (5)
Q19 Q17 How much interest would you say you have in the referendum on AV versus first past the post?
Are you




Very interested (1)
Somewhat interested (2)
Not very interested (3)
Not at all interested (4)
Q110 Q18 Have you been looking for information about the two electoral systems yourself, through the
internet, or elsewhere?
 Yes, through the internet (1)
 Yes, elsewhere (2)
 No (3)
If Yes, elsewhere Is Selected, Then Skip To End of BlockIf No Is Selected, Then Skip To End of Block
Q122 Have you looked for information on any of the websites listed here?




The 'No' Campaign Website (1)
The 'Yes' Campaign website (2)
The Electoral Commission website (3)
Any other websites? (4)
Q112 Q19a If there was an election held today, for which party’s candidate would you vote?



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





Would not vote (1)
Conservative (2)
Labour (3)
Liberal Democrat (4)
UK Independence Party (5)
Green (6)
Scottish National Party (7)
Plaid Cymru (8)
Other (9)
Don't know (10)
Q114 Q20a If an election were held today, how would you vote under AV? (Put your choices as 1, 2, 3
etc in the boxes next to each party. You do not have to enter any more than a 1, or you can enter as
many as you like)
______ Conservative (1)
______ Labour (2)
______ Liberal Democrat (3)
______ UK Independence Party (4)
______ Green (5)
______ Scottish National Party (6)
______ Plaid Cymru (7)
______ Other (8)
______ Don't know (9)
Q116 Q21a Would you say you care personally about which system is used to elect MPs? Do you:




Care a lot (1)
Care somewhat (2)
Don't really care (3)
Don't care at all (4)
Q127 Q19b Would you say you care personally about which system is used to elect MPs? Do you:




Care a lot (1)
Care somewhat (2)
Don't really care (3)
Don't care at all (4)
Q125 Q20b If there was an election held today, for which party’s candidate would you vote?










Would not vote (1)
Conservative (2)
Labour (3)
Liberal Democrat (4)
UK Independence Party (5)
Green (6)
Scottish National Party (7)
Plaid Cymru (8)
Other (9)
Don't know (10)
Q126 Q21b If an election were held today, how would you vote under AV? (Put your choices as 1, 2, 3
etc in the boxes next to each party. You do not have to enter any more than a 1, or you can enter as
many as you like)
______ Conservative (1)
______ Labour (2)
______ Liberal Democrat (3)
______ UK Independence Party (4)
______ Green (5)
______ Scottish National Party (6)
______ Plaid Cymru (7)
______ Other (8)
______ Don't know (9)
Q24 Q22 On a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 means strongly like, and 0 strongly dislike, where would you
place the following parties?
0
Strongly
dislike
(1)
1
(2)
2
(3)
3
(4)
4
(5)
5
(6)
6
(7)
7
(8)
8
(9)
9
(10)
10
Strongly
like (11)
Don't
know
(12)
Conservative
(1)












Labour (2)












Liberal
Democrat (3)












UK
Independence
(4)












Green (5)

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



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




Scottish
National (6)












Plaid Cymru
(7)












Q26 Q23 On a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 means strongly like, and 0 strongly dislike, how do you feel
about these political leaders?
0
Strongly
dislike
(1)
1 (2)
2 (3)
3 (4)
4 (5)
5 (6)
6 (7)
7 (8)
8 (9)
9
(10)
10
Strongly
like (11)
Don't
know
(12)
David
Cameron
(1)









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Ed
Miliband
(2)

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

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Nick
Clegg (3)

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



Q119 Q24 On a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 means strong trust, and 0 strong distrust, how much do you
trust politicians in general?
0
Strong
distrust
(1)
Politicians
in general
(1)

1 (2)
2 (3)
3 (4)
4 (5)
5 (6)
6 (7)
7 (8)
8 (9)
9
(10)









10
Strong
Trust
(11)

Don't
know
(12)

Q118 Q25 On a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 means strong trust, and 0 strong distrust, how much do you
trust these political parties?
0
Strong
distrust
(1)
1
(2)
2
(3)
3
(4)
4
(5)
5
(6)
6
(7)
7
(8)
8
(9)
9
(10)
10
Strong
Trust
(11)
Don't
know
(12)
The
Conservative
Party (1)












The Labour
Party (2)












The Liberal
Democrat
Party (3)












Q27 Q26 Which of these parties would you say was for AV, or for first past the post, or divided on the
question?
For AV (1)
For First past the
post (2)
Divided (3)
Don't know (4)
Conservative (1)




Labour (2)




Liberal Democrat
(3)




UK Independence
(4)




Green (5)




Scottish National
(6)




Plaid Cymru (7)




Q60 Q27 Do you regularly read a daily newspaper or newpapers – either the paper versions or online, or
both?




Yes, paper version (1)
Yes, online (2)
Yes, read paper version(s) and online (3)
No (4)
Q61 Q28 Which daily newspapers do you read, either regularly, or just occasionally? (You can answer
more than one)


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
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


I really never read a newspaper!l (1)
Daily Mail/Scottish Daily Mail (2)
Daily Star/Daily Star of Scotland (3)
Daily Telegraph (4)
Express (5)
Financial Times (6)
Guardian (7)
Independent (8)
Mirror/Scottish Mirror/Daily Record (9)
The Scotsman (10)
The Sun (11)
The times (12)
Western Mail (13)
Metro (14)
The Evening Standard (15)
Your city's local newspaper (16)
Another (17)
If I really never read a newsp... Is Selected, Then Skip To Q35 On an average weekday, how much t...
Q62 Q28a Which daily newspaper do you read most often?

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
Daily Mail/Scottish Daily Mail (1)
Daily Star/Daily Star of Scotland (2)
Daily Telegraph (3)
Express (4)
Financial Times (5)
Guardian (6)
Independent (7)
Mirror/Scottish Mirror/Daily Record (8)
The Scotsman (9)
The Sun (10)
The Times (11)
Western Mail (12)
Metro (13)
The Evening Standard (14)
Your city's local newspaper (15)
Another (16)
Q98 Q28b Did you read anything in a newspaper or newpapers about the referendum on AV versus first
past the post? Would you say you read 



A large number of items about the referendum (1)
Several items about the referendum (2)
Just one or two things about the referendum (3)
Nothing about the referendum (4)
Q63 Q29 On an average weekday, how much time do you spend watching television news or
programmes about politics and current affairs?





None, no time at all (1)
Less than half an hour (2)
Half an hour to an hour (3)
1 to 2 hours (4)
More than 2 hours (5)
If None, no time at all Is Selected, Then Skip To End of Block
Q120 Q29a Did you see anything on television about the referendum on AV versus first past the
post? Would you say you saw 



A large number of things about the referendum (1)
Several things about the referendum (2)
Just one or two things about the referendum (3)
Nothing about the referendum (4)
Q64 Q29b How often do you watch the following news programmes?
Never (1)
Less than
Once a
Month (2)
Once a
Month (3)
2-3 Times
a Month
(4)
Once a
Week (5)
2-3 Times
a Week
(6)
Daily (7)
BBC news
(1)







ITV news
(2)







Channel 4
News (3)







Sky News
(4)

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
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


Newsnight
(5)

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




Despatches
(6)

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
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


Panorama
(7)







Q34 Q30 Which system, first past the post, or AV, makes coalition governments (made up of more than
one party) more likely? Or do neither make much difference?




First past the post (1)
The alternative vote (2)
Neither make much difference (3)
Don't know (4)
Q41 Q31 Do you agree or disagree with these statements, and how strongly?
Strongly agree
(1)
Agree (2)
Disagree (3)
Strongly
disagree (4)
Don't know (5)
Under AV
there will be
no more
wasted votes
(1)





AV will make it
more likely
that extremists
are elected to
Parliament (2)





The
referendum is
a big waste of
money (3)





AV makes sure
every MP has
to win a
majority of the
votes (4)





AV makes it
possible for
everybody to
vote for who
they want to
(5)





Voting under
AV is as easy
as ranking
your
candidates 1,
2, 3. (6)





Q42 Q32 Here are some more statements to agree or disagree with.
Strongly agree
(1)
Agree (2)
Disagree (3)
Strongly
disagree (4)
Don't know (5)
Voters will not
understand AV
because it is
too confusing
(1)





The first past
the post
system gives
us strong
government
(2)





AV means that
some votes get
counted more
than others (3)





The campaign
against AV is
dominated by
the
Conservative
Party (4)





AV would only
help the
Liberal
Democrats (5)





AV is not
significantly
more
proportional
than first past
the post (6)





Q56 Q33 Imagine that a party wins the most votes in an election with about 40 per cent of the votes
cast across the whole country. Regardless of whether you like that party or not, do you think that party
should get:




About 40% of the seats in Parliament? (1)
More than half the seats in Parliament? (2)
Somwhere between 40% and half the seats? (3)
Don't know (4)
Q57 Q34 Imagine that a party receives 15 per cent of the votes in an election, across the whole country.
Regardless of whether you liked that party or not, do you think that party should get:




About 15% of the seats in Parliament? (1)
Less than 15% of the seats in Parliament? (2)
No seats at all? (3)
Don't know (4)
Q29 Q35 Generally speaking, do you prefer
 A government made up of a single party (1)
 A coalition made up of more than one party (2)
 Don't know (3)
Q58 Q36 If you have to choose, which of the following is more important to you?
 One party has more than half the seats in Parliament, so it can easily govern on its own (1)
 Parties have about the same percentage of seats as their percentage of the votes (2)
 Don't know (3)
Q59 Q37 How much do you agree or disagree with these opinions?
Strongly agree
(1)
Agree (2)
Disagree (3)
Strongly
Disagree (4)
Don't know (5)
Most people
would try to
take
advantage of
others if they
got the chance
(1)





A few strong
leaders could
make this
country better
than all the
laws and talk
(2)





What young
people need
most of all is
strict discipline
by their
parents (3)





Sometimes
politics seems
so complicated
people like me
can't
understand
what goes on
(4)





I feel that I
could do as
good a job in
public office as
most people
(5)





I feel I have a
pretty good
understanding
of the issues
facing the UK
(6)





Q97 Q38 How much do you agree or disagree with these opinions?
Strongly agree
(1)
Agree (2)
Disagree (3)
Strongly
Disagree (4)
Don't know (5)
Most
Members of
Parliament are
out of touch
with the rest
of the country
(1)





People like me
don't have any
say about
what the
government
does (2)





You can trust
the
government to
do what is
right most of
the time (3)





I don’t think
politicians and
civil servants
care much
about what
people like me
think (4)





The
government is
largely run by
a few big
interests (5)





Q52 Q39a Do you agree or disagree with these statements, and how strongly?
Strongly agree
(1)
Agree (2)
Disagree (3)
Strongly
Disagree (4)
Don't know (5)
With David
Cameron, who
says that AV
will mean a
political system
that is unfair,
unclear, and
unaccountable?
(1)





With Ed
Miliband, who
says that AV
will restore the
balance of
power in favour
of voters (2)





With Nick
Clegg, who says
that AV would
mean no one's
vote is wasted
and MPs would
be forced to
work harder to
win and keep
your support
(3)





Q53 Q39b Do you agree or disagree with these statements, and how strongly?
Strongly agree
(1)
Agree (2)
Disagree (3)
Strongly
Disagree (4)
Don't know (5)
AV will mean a
political
system that is
unfair, unclear,
and
unaccountable
(1)





AV will restore
the balance of
power in
favour of
voters (2)





AV would
mean no one's
vote is wasted
and MPs
would be
forced to work
harder to win
and keep your
support (3)





Q87 Q40a Do you agree or disagree with these statements, and how strongly?
Strongly agree
(1)
Agree (2)
Disagree (3)
Strongly
Disagree (4)
Don't know (5)
With the
Sunday paper,
the Observer,
that says 'AV
would elect a
parliament
that more
accurately
describes the
political
complexion of
the nation' (1)





With the Daily
Mail, that says
'a victory for
AV would ride
roughshod
over Britain’s
democratic
traditions,
while placing
the country at
the mercy of
shabby
backroom
stitch-ups' (2)





With the Daily
Telegraph,
that says the
referendum is
'an
unnecessary
distraction
from more
pressing
matters' (3)





Q88 Q40b Do you agree or disagree with these statements, and how strongly?
Strongly agree
(1)
Agree (2)
Disagree (3)
Strongly
Disagree (4)
Don't know (5)
AV would elect
a parliament
that more
accurately
describes the
political
complexion of
the nation (1)





A victory for
AV would ride
roughshod
over Britain’s
democratic
traditions,
while placing
the country at
the mercy of
shabby
backroom
stitch-ups (2)





The
referendum is
an
unnecessary
distraction
from more
pressing
matters (3)





Q54 Q41 Finally, here is the referendum choice question again, in case you have changed your mind. At
present, the UK uses the first past the post system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the
Alternative Vote System be used instead?${e://Field/eid}
 The Alternative Vote (1)
 First past the post (2)
 Don't know (3)
If The Alternative Vote Is Selected, Then Skip To End of SurveyIf First past the post Is Selected, Then Skip
To End of SurveyIf Don't know Is Selected, Then Skip To End of Survey