Candidate Survey May 2024 Data Tables
The survey received 430 responses from candidates who stood for election on 2 May 2024 in England. Questions on harassment and demographics were not compulsory and some questions were routed based on previous answers, therefore base size differs across questions.
On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being no problem at all and 5 being a serious problem, how much of a problem, if any, did you have with harassment, intimidation, or threats in this election?
| 1 - I did not have a problem at all | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 - I had a serious problem | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57% | 22% | 11% | 7% | 3% | 1% |
Base: 390
During election campaigns, some candidates may experience harassment, intimidation and threats to their security. How often did you personally experience any of the following during the election campaign?
During the election campaign somebody...
| No/Never | Once or a few times | Several/many times | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physically attacked you, hit you, or threw something at you? | 97% | 3% | 0% |
| Threatened to harm you, your family, campaign staff, or others close to you? | 89% | 10% | 1% |
| Intimidated you or intentionally behaved in a way that made you feel unsafe (e.g. followed you)? | 72% | 25% | 3% |
| Defaced or damaged your property or campaign assets (e.g. posters, billboards, campaign office, car)? | 85% | 13% | 3% |
| Tore down or destroyed your campaign assets (e.g. posters)? | 79% | 18% | 3% |
| Posted offensive sexual comments, pictures, or videos in relation to you or used hate speech in relation to your gender on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)? | 92% | 5% | 2% |
| Posted offensive sexual comments, pictures, or videos in relation to you or used hate speech in relation to your race or ethnicity on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)? | 98% | 2% | 1% |
| Posted offensive sexual comments, pictures, or videos in relation to you or used hate speech in relation to your religion on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)? | 98% | 2% | 1% |
| Posted other abuse, insulting, or threatening comments on social media? | 62% | 26% | 12% |
| Belittled and insulted you as a person in meetings, public events, or debates? | 80% | 14% | 6% |
| Touched, hugged, or kissed you against your will? | 98% | 2% | 0% |
Base: 383
Where did you experience harassment, intimidation, or threats? Please select all that apply.
| Answer Choices | Responses |
|---|---|
| At a campaign event | 9% |
| Outside your home | 5% |
| Outside a polling station | 5% |
| On public transport | 1% |
| At your place of work | 4% |
| While out canvassing | 46% |
| Online | 55% |
| Somewhere else (please specify) | 20% |
Base: 208
Which, if any, of the following things did you do during the campaign in order to avoid harassment, intimidation, or threats?
| Frequently avoided | Avoided a few times | Didn't avoid | N/A - I didn't do this as part of my campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I avoided face-to-face campaign activities (political meetings, rallies, canvassing) | 2% | 5% | 72% | 22% |
| I avoided using social media (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc) for campaign purposes | 8% | 14% | 58% | 21% |
| I avoided campaigning on my own | 20% | 11% | 54% | 15% |
| I avoided putting up campaign materials (i.e. posters) | 5% | 5% | 61% | 28% |
| I avoided talking about or giving my opinions on controversial topics | 9% | 19% | 59% | 13% |
Base: 375
Which, if any, of the following things did you do during the campaign in order to avoid harassment, intimidation, or threats? (Gender)
(* denotes a statistically significant difference between genders. Statistical significance is calculated using a standard 95% confidence level.)
| Frequently avoided | Avoided a few times | Didn't avoid | N/A - I didn't do this as part of my campaign | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| I avoided face-to-face campaign activities (political meetings, rallies, canvassing) | 2% | 2% | 5% | 4% | 69% | 76% | 24% | 18% |
| I avoided using social media (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc) for campaign purposes | 10% | 6% | 11% | 19% | 56% | 59% | 23% | 16% |
| I avoided campaigning on my own | 11%* | 40%* | 9% | 15% | 64%* | 30%* | 16% | 15% |
| I avoided putting up campaign materials (i.e. posters) | 4% | 7% | 6% | 5% | 61% | 61% | 29% | 27% |
| I avoided talking about or giving my opinions on controversial topics | 7% | 14% | 12%* | 32%* | 66%* | 45%* | 15% | 9% |
Base: 344