UK public more likely to see politics as short-termist than people in other European countries, study finds

The study, involving more than 7,600 adults across six countries, found that 38% of UK respondents believe British politics is focused on the short term, more than in France, Germany, Italy, Spain or Poland. Just 16% believe British politics is focused on the long term.

The UK was the only country surveyed in which those who viewed politics as short-term focused outnumbered those who considered it long-term focused.

By contrast, Spain was perceived as the most long-term focused country, with 39% of respondents viewing its politics as long-term focused, compared with 21% who considered it short-termist.

How perceptions differ across society

The findings reveal differences in perceptions of political short-termism according to income, education, age and voting behaviour.

Higher earners were generally more likely to view politics as focused on the short term. In the UK, 47% of respondents in the highest income third held this view, compared with 31% in the lowest income third. Similar differences were found in Spain and Italy.

University graduates were also more likely than non-graduates to perceive politics as short-termist. In France, 38% of graduates held this view, compared with 22% of non-graduates, while in Germany the figures were 36% and 24% respectively.

Older respondents were generally more likely to view politics as focused on the long term. In Spain, 45% of those in the oldest age group held this view, compared with 33% of the youngest group.

Dr Matthew Barnfield, Honorary Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London, said:

"Voters across Europe clearly differ from us here in the UK, where we tend to see our politics as too short-termist. In all other countries we looked at, more people actually think their politics is more focused on the long than the short term.

"Within all these countries, these perceptions vary in consistent ways across different societal groups, with younger, more educated, higher earning Europeans tending to think of politics as more short-termist than their older, less well-educated, lower earning peers."

What do voters understand by short- and long-term policies?

The research also examined how people interpret the timescales politicians use when discussing policy outcomes.

Across most policy areas, including education, crime, healthcare and the economy, respondents generally understood short-term results to mean within two or three years, while long-term results were typically expected within five or six years.

However, expectations varied depending on the policy area.

In the UK, France, Germany and Italy, respondents associated short-term environmental policy outcomes with longer timeframes of four to five years.

For long-term environmental policies, expectations extended to eight to ten years in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Housing policies were also associated with longer timeframes of seven to ten years across several countries.

Dr Karl Pike, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Queen Mary University of London, said:

"Voters across Europe rightly expect to see political promises coming to fruition, but perhaps a little earlier than politicians may assume in some areas. If voters hear a politician make promises about long-term economic policies, in the UK, Germany and Spain they are expecting to see results in around 5 years.

"Perhaps some policies that we understand to be 'long-term' could produce some effects in that timeframe, but others, like investment in infrastructure, reforms to skills policies, or other developmental policies, may take much longer.

"Not only should policymakers talk more openly about how long things can take, they should also explain why long-term policymaking is important, and ensure they strike a balance between short term 'wins' and longer-term change."

Who is responsible for political short-termism?

The research also explored whether people believe politicians or voters are responsible for the focus of politics in their country.

Among respondents who viewed their country's politics as long-term focused, politicians were generally considered more responsible than voters. In the UK, 62% attributed long-termism mainly to politicians, compared with 8% who attributed it mainly to voters.

Those who perceived politics as short-term focused were more inclined to attribute responsibility to voters, although politicians were still more frequently identified as responsible overall.

Among respondents who did not express a view on whether politics was more short- or long-term focused, many nevertheless considered voters to be more short-termist than politicians. This included 47% in the UK, 42% in France and 54% in Spain.

Dr Matthew Barnfield added:

"Generally, they are more likely to see politicians as responsible for this temporal focus. But people are much more inclined to attribute political short-termism than long-termism to voters. And both in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, we tend to see ourselves, as voters, as more short-termist than politicians."

Professor Philip Cowley, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London, said:

"For Britain's new Prime Minister, these results show both an opportunity and a problem. The opportunity is that British voters have noticed the constant short-term nature of our recent politics. A government that can deliver some stability may well find a receptive audience. Yet the poll also shows that voters also expect to see changes in the short term, and that they do not have particularly long-time horizons. The need for short term wins is also clear."

About the research

'Time is of the Essence? Perceptions of short-termism and long-termism in politics across Europe' was conducted by Dr Matthew Barnfield, Dr Karl Pike and Professor Philip Cowley at Queen Mary University of London's Mile End Institute.

The research draws on polling conducted by YouGov involving 7,611 adults across six European countries: the UK (2,232), France (1,162), Germany (1,072), Italy (1,002), Spain (1,028) and Poland (1,115).

Fieldwork was conducted online between 8 and 18 September 2026. Figures were weighted separately for each country and are representative of adults aged 18 and over in their respective countries.

 

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