Press Story

IPPR’s new ‘anti-establishment index’ shows half of voters now reject traditional politics
Labour must not be afraid to “go insurgent” and pick enemies, says think tank, urging them to go after landlords and digital giants

The share of the voting age population rejecting establishment parties in advanced democracies has doubled over the last 50 years, according to a major new study from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

IPPR’s new anti-establishment index shows that in the 1970s, 22 per cent of the voting age population either backed populist right-wing parties or opted out of voting altogether. By the 2020s, that figure had surged to almost half (44 per cent).

In the UK, the proportion grew from 27 per cent in the 1970s and 1980s to 42 per cent in the 2010s. In 2024, the rise of Reform and historically low turnout pushed the proportion as high as 55 per cent.

The think tank warns that rising disillusionment with politicians, declining trust in democratic institutions, and growing support for right-wing populists creates an existential threat for traditional parties.

The report states that this threat can’t be stemmed with bureaucratic, business-as-usual politics. Instead, established parties must radically change how they govern - challenging the status quo, overhauling failing systems, and picking fights on behalf of working people.

IPPR says Labour must “go insurgent” and decide who they are for and who they are against. New analysis for IPPR argues that putting renters’ rights reform (by going after landlords) and renewing high streets (by targeting digital retail giants) at the heart of the governments story could prove popular.

By pursuing an economically insurgent agenda – setting out a clear ‘us versus them’ stance – Labour will be best able to hold together their electoral coalition. Exclusive polling shows that if they frame existing policies in insurgent terms, they can increase support for their renters’ rights policies by 24 percentage points, and for taxing digital multinationals, including looking at digital services tax, by 11 points.

With a big reset from the government expected around conference season, IPPR says now is the time to be ambitious, radical and insurgent. To do this, they must:

Take the fight to landlords and corporate giants: show whose side they’re on with bold action on renters’ rights, workers’ protections and corporate power
Cut Whitehall down to size: drastically reduce bureaucracy, shift power and resources out of London, and prove the state can work differently
Speak human, not Westminster: communicate like insurgents in power – using trusted local voices, direct-to-voter digital channels and emotionally resonant arguments that cut through

Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director, said:

“The status quo is failing – and voters know it. If mainstream parties don’t look, sound, and act like agents of change, they will be swept aside by those who do.

“Being an insurgent government is about more than a slogan – it means confronting the powerful to deliver for those locked out of power and opportunity. It means changing not just what you do, but how you do it, from the way decisions are made in Whitehall to how you speak to voters on their doorsteps and online.

“To stand for everyone is to stand for no-one. Win-win is the same as lose-lose. The only way progressives can challenge right wing populists is to go insurgent. That means deciding who they are for and who they are against.”

ENDS

Harry Quilter-Pinner is available for interview

CONTACT

Liam Evans, head of news and media: 07419 365 334 l.evans@ippr.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

Advance copies of the report are available under embargo on request
The anti-establishment index measures the proportion of eligible voters who do not vote for establishment parties in parliamentary elections, either because they have not registered, they registered but didn't vote, or because they voted for far right parties. We include as far right those parties with an index greater than 7.5 on ParlGov's left-right index. We combine ParlGov data on far right vote share with IDEA data on eligible population, registration and turnout.
IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research) is the UK’s most influential think tank, with alumni in Downing Street, the cabinet and parliament. We are the practical ideas factory behind many of the current government’s flagship policies, including changes to fiscal rules, the creation of a National Wealth Fund, GB Energy, devolution, and reforms to the NHS. As an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society, we have spent almost 40 years creating tangible progressive change - turning bold ideas into common sense realities. www.ippr.org