The old saying ‘nice guys finish last’ may not be around for much longer. Findings from Opinium Research reveal it’s nowhere near the truth!

Valentine’s Day research found three fifths of women (59%) admitted they prefer ‘nice guys’ to their ‘bad boy’ counterparts, and perhaps unsurprisingly men across the country continue to get it wrong when it comes to what women want. Almost half of the men surveyed (46%) still believe that women prefer a ‘bad boy’, compared to just 12% who correctly think girls favour the nice guys out there.

read more

The Conservatives' recent lead didn't last long with both parties tied again on 36%
• The recent Tory surge since the start of December seems to have reached a plateau with the blues slipping by 2 percentage points while Labour remain steady on 36%
• The Lib Dems will also be relieved to be cracking double figures again (10%) while maintaining a steady lead over UKIP (6%) who have come close to challenging their place as the third party in other polls.

read more

The worm has turned with the Conservatives taking their first lead in an Opinium survey since 2010
• Since the start of December and the David Cameron’s EU summit veto, we’ve seen a gradual tightening of the Labour lead with both major parties on 37% in the last survey two weeks ago and finally pulling ahead by two percentage points this week.

read more

It's been a miserable January for Ed Miliband, a seemingly never ending run of bad press has seen Labour's overall lead in the voting intention poll disappear while Mr Milibands personal job approval, never particularly positive, has sunk to the lowest point recorded in an Opinium survey.

• Almost half of likely voters (48%) disapprove of his performance as Labour party leader while only 19% approve giving him a net rating of -29%

read more

Michael Bruter and Sarah Harrison
Department of Government, LSE

read more

Our latest voting intention figures show the Tories have finally closed the gap with both major parties on 37%.
• In fact when it comes to raw numbers of respondents the Tories are actually slightly ahead (by approximately 9 respondents)
• As the chart shows, the gap has been closing since David Cameron’s stylistically important (but substantively less important) veto of the Eurozone rescue treaty in early December

read more

Christmas is over which means it’s once again safe to ask people about politics without the risk of ruining their mood or causing family arguments at the dinner table!
• Continuing the main story of 2011, Labour maintain a narrow lead of only 1% as the Tories still see a residual boost from David Cameron’s EU veto in December
• The Lib Dems slip back to single figures again (9%, only 2 points above UKIP's 7%) while Others dropped a point to 18%

Topline Voting Intention  

read more

As 2011 draws to a close we asked the nation on their predictions for the New Year, and also asked them to reveal their heroes and villains of 2011.

The nation’s top five predictions for 2012

1. Youth unemployment continues to rise (53%)
2. One or more countries leave(s) the Eurozone (47%)
3. Prince William and Kate announce pregnancy / have a baby (44%)
4. More riots / unrest in the UK (34%)
5. Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition splits up (27%)

read more

With Christmas just around the corner Opinium Research analysed Christmas traditions and reveals what now resembles the typical Christmas Day for Brits.

Bah! Humbug!

Opinium found that while over three quarters (78%) usually enjoy a conventional Christmas lunch with all the trimmings every year, many of the more traditional Christmas customs have been shelved. Less than 10% who celebrate Christmas attend Mass (7%) or a carol service (9%) and only a fifth (22%) of the nation will listen to or watch the Queen’s speech.

All I want for Christmas is…

read more

With this weekend marking the X-Factor final and the finish line in sight, Marcus Collins leads the race with 33% of X-Factor fans backing him to win followed by Little Mix in 2nd (27%) and Amelia Lily set to finish in 3rd (25%).

However, with Little Mix enjoying a significant advantage over Marcus amongst viewers aged under 35 and tied amongst likely voters (34% of the vote each), it could well come down to which acts performs best on the live shows this weekend.

read more

Consumer spending has been described as the foundation of many economies. Economic booms are built on buoyant spending; similarly economic slumps are lengthened by a lack of spending.

The key factors that determine consumer spending can be summarised as follows:

• The level of real disposable household income
• Interest rates and the availability of credit
• Consumer confidence in the economy
• Changes in household financial wealth
• Changes in employment and unemployment

read more

Earlier this year we teamed up with Women’s charity Platform 51 to investigate antidepressant use in the UK.

The research revealed a significant number of women are prescribed antidepressants for long periods of time without review and without being offered any alternatives

• Half (48%) of women currently on antidepressants have been on them for 5 years or more
• 1 in 4 (24%) women currently on antidepressants have been on them for 10 years or more
• 1 in 4 (24%) women currently on antidepressants have waited a year or more for a review

read more

With youth unemployment at it's highest level for 23 years, we asked the Opinium panel what they thought the main causes were and what should be done about it.

Respondents blame the high rate of youth unemployment (1.02 million) on immigration, businesses not hiring and a lack of entry points for young workers.

Respondents lack confidence in any political party to solve the problem and believe that the government’s Youth Contract, announced last week, will help but not help enough as youth unemployment will only increase in the next 6 months.

Key causes

read more

Consumers hopes and fears drive their behaviours - so what can we expect for the next six months?

Ten months ago when asked to select our one main hope, a quarter of us hoped for good or improved health for ourselves and our families, however, fast forward to the September 2011 wave of the Opinium Hopes and Fears survey and it's quite clear that the economic climate has had a severe effect on our collective outlooks for the next six months.

read more

The Labour lead has narrowed to just 1% as the Conservatives creep up by 2% and Labour slips by 1%
• Labour are still ahead among those aged below 55 while the Conservatives have a 7% lead among those over 55 (39% to 32%)
• Although UKIP support has been hovering at around 6-8%, the increased prominence in the news of the Eurozone crisis in recent weeks and months does not seem to have boosted their support

Topline Voting Intention   %

read more

Updated voting figures from 21st November show Labour lead further narrowing to one percentage point.

read more

The gap between the Conservative and Labour parties narrows slightly to four points with Labour losing a point and the Conservatives gaining one.
• Labour is now further ahead among men than women (by 5% vs. a 3% lead among women)
• Labour held steady among younger age groups but the Conservative lead among over 55’s has grown from 3% to 8% (41% of over 55’s would vote Conservative vs. 34% Labour)

read more

With Brits choosing which ghost or ghoul costume to wear, trick or treaters are planning which doors to knock on, and most importantly, people are choosing which scary movie to frighten themselves with at home we asked which film sends the most shivers down the nation’s spine.

• Three quarters (72 per cent) of the nation watch scary movies
• The Exorcist voted scariest movie of all time
• Paranormal movies prove to be the most frightening
• Half (46 per cent) prefer scary films with a companion beside them

read more

Labour remain on top at 39% and with a lead of 6% over the Conservatives who drop to 33%.
• Interestingly, the Labour lead it 7% among women but only 4% among men
• Labour retained strong leads among 18-34 year olds (18%) and 35-54 year olds (8%) while the Conservatives narrowly lead among those over 55 (3%)
• The Lib Dems hold steady on 9% while Others remain on 19%

read more