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CaSE writes to Parliamentary Candidates with new constituency level analysis on public attitudes to R&D

17 Jun 2024

The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) has today launched a campaign of engagement with Parliamentary Candidates across the UK.

Using a new, constituency-level analysis of public attitudes to R&D, CaSE has written to candidates to emphasise the strength of support for research and share our Guide to R&D on the Doorstep.

Our model predicts high levels of support for local actions related to R&D, and local R&D investment, facilities and job creation, across constituencies in England, Wales and Scotland. Through this analysis we can provide constituency level insight for questions such as:

  • Would the public like to vote for someone who will support R&D in the UK?
  • Would the public support their next MP speaking in Parliament about the importance of R&D?
  • Would the public support their next MP campaigning for a new research centre to be built on their nearest high street?

Using the results from polling of 6,111 UK adults carried out between March and June 2024, Public First worked with Electoral Calculus to produce a Multi-Level Regression with Poststratification (MRP) analysis of these results, modelling the expected attitudes at a constituency level. 

With this analysis, we have written to candidates to highlight the relevant findings for their constituency, directly delivering the message of strong support for R&D we have seen from constituents across the UK.

Alongside these findings, we have shared our new Guide for R&D on the Doorstep. This guide is designed to help candidates engage with their constituents during the General Election period and beyond.

This work forms part of CaSE’s wider Discovery Decade project which, supported by a grant from the Wellcome Trust, is seeking to make R&D matter to more people.

Commenting on this new analysis and engagement campaign:

CaSE's Guide to R&D on the Doorstep

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Constituency-level analysis of public attitudes to R&D

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“We need R&D to matter to more of the next cohort of MPs, and these local stats can help us grab the attention of Parliamentary Candidates across the country.

“This is our chance to show that R&D is a local issue, as well as a national one, and an issue where voters want to see action from their next MP.“

Dr Ben Bleasdale
Director of CaSE’s Discovery Decade project

“CaSE believes strongly in putting science and engineering at the heart of the UK’s future, and this General Election is a pivotal opportunity to do so. Research in the UK requires passionate advocates both in and outside of parliament. I hope that through this campaign of engagement we can build a new cohort of policy makers who recognise the importance and value of R&D.”

Dr Alicia Greated
Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE)

Notes to editors

Explore the full results

CaSE Website: https://www.sciencecampaign.org.uk/what-we-do/public-opinion/case-public-opinion-research/case-public-attitudes-to-rd-and-the-general-election-2024/#MRP

Our Methods: https://www.sciencecampaign.org.uk/what-we-do/public-opinion/public-attitudes-to-r-d/methodology/#General-Election-2024

Guide to R&D on the Doorstep: https://www.sciencecampaign.org.uk/what-we-do/public-opinion/building-effective-campaigns/case039s-guide-to-rampd-on-the-doorstep/

About CaSE

The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) is a charity that works to put science and engineering at the heart of the UK’s future. The UK’s leading advocacy group for science and engineering, our membership spans 110 scientific organisations, including businesses, universities, learned societies and charities, as well as individual scientists and engineers. Collectively our members employ over 336,000 people in the UK, and our industry and charity members invest around £32.2bn a year globally in R&D.

We collaborate with our members, partners and the public to lend our clear, expert voice to decisions about science and engineering. We specialise in developing non-partisan, responsive solutions that help research and innovation to thrive in ways that improve people’s lives and livelihoods.

Charity number: 1147492. Company number: 7807252.

Multi-Level Regression with Poststratification methodology

Public First polled a total of 6,111 UK adults. This included 2,011 on March 29th – April 2nd, and 4,100 from June 7th – 9th, 2024. Public First worked with Electoral Calculus to produce a Multi-Level Regression with Poststratification (MRP) analysis of these results, modelling the expected attitudes at a constituency level. Using the demographic information provided by the participants, multi-level regression models are fit to assess the relationship between demographics and views on R&D in 13 questions. This enables us to make predictions as to how individuals who fill specific demographic categories (e.g. male, 18-24, white British…) would respond to each question. These predictions are then “post-stratified” – using known proportions of people in these demographic categories in each Westminster constituency so that we can predict the likely outcome of asking the question in that local area.

This methodology means that hyper-local context or factors cannot be taken into account. For example, a controversy surrounding a specific local candidate for Parliament would not be picked up by this process.

Please note that due to the size of sample in Northern Ireland and the unique political correlates, models do not include projections for these constituencies.

This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust [222853/Z/21/]