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Progressive Activists

UK Progressive Activists Hr

13% of the population



‘It’s not really a meritocracy we live in. The people who have privilege to begin with are far more likely to end up in their dream career.’
Sally, 29, South East England

Progressive Activists are highly-educated, urban, and more likely than any other group to be in work. They think globally and are motivated to fight inequality and injustice. Their sense of personal identity is connected to their strong political and social beliefs. They are often supporters of Labour, the Greens and, in Scotland, the SNP. They like to take part in debates and have their voice heard. They are far more active in posting about politics on social media than any other group, and are big consumers of news from many sources, with The Guardian newspaper a big favourite.

Top priorities: Climate change, the economy, inequality

Compared to other groups:

  • Much more pessimistic about the direction the country is heading in, with only 2 per cent saying it is going in the right direction (v 29 per cent average)
  • Strongly believe that the system is rigged to serve the rich and influential (95 per cent v 67 per cent average)
  • Very engaged with the news, with 83 per cent reporting use of social media in the past day, 54 per cent reading a newspaper online or in print, and 17 per cent reading a blog – in all cases more than any other segment
  • Much more active on social media, with 55 per cent posting political content on social media – more than four times as much as any other segment
  • Least confident that once we are through the worst of the Covid-19 crisis, we will address the problems in society (68 per cent v 46 per cent average). 
  • More likely to think that the people they agree with politically need to stick to their beliefs and fight (35 per cent v 22 per cent average)
  • Least proud of being British of any segment (22 per cent v 59 per cent  average) and most likely to say their national identity is not important to them (55 per cent v 24 per cent average)
  • Strongly believe that white people have advantages over ethnic minorities (93 per cent v 60 per cent average)
  • Strongly believe that immigration has had a positive impact on the UK (85 per cent v 43 per cent average)
  • More likely to say they are ‘extremely worried’ about climate change than any other group (72 per cent v 34 per cent average)

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