Big YouGov Voter Study 2026: What do Green voters think of the party?

Belief the Greens are the party closest to their values is its key attraction for the party’s voters

Having already achieved a record result at the last election, winning 7% of the vote and returning four MPs, the Greens have seen further gains over the last two years, particularly since Zack Polanski was elected as party leader last September and shifted the party in a more left-wing populist direction.

Today, the Green coalition includes 17% of those who backed Labour two years ago, as well as 10% of those who voted Lib Dem, but what has drawn them to a party that for years was written off as a wasted vote?

Who are the Green’s supporters?

One of the most notable elements of the current Green coalition is that the three groups of 2024 voter base it is built from all look remarkably similar.

All three groups are particularly young, with 69-72% under the age of 50, including 39-41% being in the 18-34 age group, while also all being majority women (54-65%). Around a quarter in all three groups identify as being not heterosexual (22-26%), relative to around one in ten voters in general, while just over half are educated to degree level (52-56%), compared to 39% of all Britons with a current voting intention.

When it comes to housing status, all three groups are disproportionately likely to rent from a private landlord (20-23%) or to live with their family or friends (18-20%), while just 16-18% own their home outright.

One of the few differences is on where these voters are, with 60% of the Greens’ gains from the Lib Dems living the South of England outside of London, double the proportion of the Greens’ gains from Labour or those that have stuck with the party since the last election.

Gains from the Lib Dems are also more likely than gains from Labour or loyalists to describe themselves as financially comfortable (43% vs 35-36%).

Such near-uniformity can also be seen in which issues Green voters feel should top the political agenda, which for them, is topped by the cost of living, which 55% see as one of the most important issues facing the country, including 49-57% in all three groups.

This is followed by the NHS, the environment and climate change, and poverty and inequality, which are each seen as among the top issues by 34-35% of those currently backing the Greens. For latter two, this is relative to them being primary concerns for just 13% of the wider public.

Those who voted Green in 2024 are more likely to see the environment as one of the most pressing concerns than those the party has gained from Labour or the Lib Dems (44% vs 31-33%).

Racism and discrimination are also particularly prominent on Green voters’ agenda, with 25% placing it as one of the most important issues facing Britain today, relative to 11% of the wider public. By contrast, a mere 9% of Green voters believe immigration is one of the top issues today, compared to 42% of all Britons.

What is attracting voters to the Green Party?

Given these similarities between the three groups, it’s going to come as no shock that they are also similar in what is attracting them to the party.

The most common attraction is the party’s beliefs, with 46% of their voters saying that the Greens being the party closest to their values is one of the main reasons they intend to back the party. Beyond general terms, the party’s left-wing economic policy and their stance on global issues such as the Gaza conflict are singled out, with 22-25% of Green voters saying these are in the top three things they like about the party.

Of course, concern about climate change is also central the Greens’ appeal, with 33% of their voters placing a trust in the party to manage climate change at the heart of their reasoning. Previous YouGov research, though, has shown that the environment has become less of a driving force for support for the Greens in recent years.

For a third (32%), a belief that it’s time for a change is one of the main reasons to vote Green, while 20% think likewise about the Greens being the only party they feel are honest about the issues facing the country.

Not all voters are completely enthusiastic in their vote choice. One in five Green voters (19%) feel that “while I don’t love the Greens, all the other parties are worse” is one of the best descriptions of why they back the party, while 11% say one of the top motivators is the Greens being best placed to stop Reform UK or the Tories. This latter view is more common among the Greens’ gains (13-15%) than the voters they’ve kept hold of (5%).

While just 12% of Green voters say that Zack Polanski’s leadership is one of the factors most attracting them to the Greens, his popularity among his coalition is nevertheless clear.

Overall, three quarters of Green voters (74%) have a favourable opinion of the self-proclaimed eco-populist, including 43% seeing him *very* favourably, relative to just 8% viewing him in a negative light. This includes similar net favourability ratings of +66 to +76 in all three main groups of Green voters.

Jeremy Corbyn is also popular among Green voters, who see him favourably by 59% to 29%, while Andy Burnham has net positive ratings among all three groups. This does, though, vary from loyal Green voters tending to see the expected next prime minister favourably by 39% to 28%, through to gains from Labour seeing him positively by a clearer margin of 58% to 17%.

Indeed, the Greens’ ex-Labour contingent are generally more positive about Labour figures than their newfound bedfellows. For instance, while Keir Starmer is unpopular among all Green groups, his net rating of -35 among gains from Labour contrasts with ratings of -56 and -58 among loyalists and gains from the Lib Dems.

What reservations do Green voters have about the party?

Although Green voters have found a lot to like in the party, not all are certain about backing the party, with just 26% having no reservations at all about giving their vote to the Greens, including 33% of those who already voted for the party two years ago.

Three reservations are particularly prominent. A belief the Greens are unlikely to win in their constituency is a worry for 30% of the party’s current voters, a concern they lack experience and aren’t ready for government is a top concern for 24%, and a worry the party’s policies are unrealistic or unaffordable is a reservation for 18%.

On this, the various Green groups are less united, with fully 40% of the party’s gains from Labour concerned about the Greens’ ability to win in their constituency, relative to 28% of their gains from the Lib Dems and 23% of those who had already backed the party in 2024.

If these reservations aren’t addressed, the Greens obviously run the risk of their voters ending up backing someone else.

A third of current Green voters (35%) are open to voting Labour, including 51% of those gained from Labour, as well as 23% of those who backed the Greens in 2024. A similar 34% of Polanski’s current coalition would also consider casting their vote for the Lib Dems, including fully 69% of defectors from the party.

Why have some 2024 Green voters abandoned the party?

Of course, not all the Greens’ 2024 voters have kept with the party, with 33% either defecting to another party, now unsure who to vote for or no longer intending to vote.

These people do tend share the main three reservations about the party that current Greens voters have, with 22-27% saying that the party’s lack of experience, unrealistic policies or unlikeliness to win are in their main reservations about the Greens.

But other complaints are more apparent, including 21% saying that Zack Polanski is one of their biggest reservations about the party. Indeed, this group of 2024 Green voters seem more immune to Polanski’s charms, with just 28% having a favourable opinion of him and 38% seeing the party’s new leader unfavourably. This contrasts with 75% of those who’ve remained loyal to the party seeing the leader in positive terms.

Other common complaints of ex-Green voters include not trusting the party on immigration (a top reservation for 14%), not liking their policies (13%), alleged anti-Semitism in the party (13%), and a belief the party is too left-wing at the moment (12%).

See the full results here and here

Interested in taking YouGov surveys? What do you think about the Green Party, British politics in general, and everything else? Have your say, join the YouGov panel, and get paid to share your thoughts. Sign up here.

Interested in commissioning YouGov research? We connect in real-time with real people around the world to gather their thoughts, behaviours, and opinions, to ensure that our research data is powered by reality. Explore our survey services here.

Photo: Getty