The United Kingdom recently experienced a significant political shift: after 14 years, the Conservative government has been replaced by a Labour-led government. This change has led to notable shifts in the political landscape, including the makeup of constituencies across the country, including the makeup of constituencies the main Parties now represent.

Initial Findings: In our analysis of the overall election results and the distribution of seats among the parties, we realised that focusing solely on these numbers would overlook valuable insights. The true value lies in deeper analysis, specifically examining where each party gained their seats from, revealing diverse demographics within those parties.

Example: In 2024, the Liberal Democrats won 72 seats, a substantial increase from the 11 seats they secured in the 2019 election. 

Demographic Insights: The graph above illustrates the age distribution of seats won by the Liberal Democrats (LD) in 2024, categorised by their gains from different parties: 

  • Orange Bars: LD hold (seats retained) 
  • Blue Bars: LD gains from the Conservatives 
  • Green Bars: LD gains from the SNP 
  • Line Graph: Overall LD age distribution in 2024 

This analysis shows that the seats gained from the Conservatives have an older demographic compared to those held in 2019, indicating that the Liberal Democrats’ constituencies after the election were on average older than before.

ABC1 Demographic Analysis: Another crucial aspect of our analysis examines how the ABC1 demographics of the Liberal Democrats’ constituencies changed after the election: 

  • The seats the Liberal Democrats held from 2019 were among the areas with the highest AB proportion. For the newly acquired seats, while still above UK averages, this trend was not as pronounced. 
  • These insights suggest that while the Liberal Democrats have broadened their appeal, there is still a significant concentration of ABC1 demographics within their core constituencies. 

Home Ownership Analysis: Another important demographic factor we examined is home ownership among the Liberal Democrats’ constituents: 

  • Orange Bars: LD hold (seats retained) 
  • Blue Bars: LD gains from the Conservatives 
  • Yellow Bars: LD gains from the SNP 
  • Line Graph: Overall LD home ownership distribution in 2024 

This chart reveals that: 

  • Liberal Democrat holds were slightly more likely to be renters than the seats they gained. 
  • Gains from the SNP are more likely to involve constituents who are socially renting, although this is still below the UK average. 

These insights highlight the varying socioeconomic profiles of the constituencies the Liberal Democrats now represent, reflecting their increasingly diverse voter base. 

By combining demographic data—such as values, beliefs, and attitudes—with more granular election analysis, our data becomes significantly more powerful and effective.

Instead of merely updating our records with the latest election results, we’ve expanded our approach to classify the type of seat won. For instance, rather than just tagging a result as Lib Dem, we now distinguish whether it’s a Lib Dem hold, a Lib Dem gain from the Conservatives, and so on.

We’ve even taken it a step further by incorporating vote share, recognising that the performance of the second-place party can provide valuable insights into the attitudinal makeup of the area.

What Does This Mean for You? As a client of PSE, you can trust in our comprehensive data strategy. We go beyond the norm, ensuring that we maximise the value of all data available to us. We continually seek to improve our approach, staying ahead of the curve by integrating the most up-to-date datasets into our analysis. 

We are always updating and improving the data we use for analysis and selections. The latest Scottish Census data (released August 2024) is already being added to our data and being used for acquisition campaigns. This exemplifies our commitment to continuously enhancing our data strategy to provide you with the most relevant insights. 

We are passionate about data – we are “Data Geeks” – and our expertise in data analysis and selection sets us apart.