Survey Uncovers Cultural Conservatism at Core of Reform UK's Rise
A comprehensive survey of nearly 5,000 voters reveals Reform UK's supporters are driven by deep cultural conservatism and ideological conviction, not just protest politics, reshaping Britain's political landscape.
Reform UK supporters feel a fierce loyalty that mainstream parties have not matched in decades. A new British Social Attitudes survey of 4,656 voters shows 23 percent identify "very strongly" with the party, more than double the 11 percent average across all other political groups. The data, gathered between August and October 2025, exposes a fundamentally different bond between Reform and its base than exists for Labour or the Conservatives.
Sir John Curtice, Britain's leading pollster and the study's co-author, said voters have not simply drifted toward Reform because of ailing public services and economic stagnation. He notes the party's supporters are deeply ideological and carry a level of emotional attachment that neither Labour nor the Conservatives have inspired in years.
Cultural conservatism forms the ideological bedrock of this movement. Seventy-five percent of Reform supporters say migrants undermine Britain's culture, compared to 35 percent of the general public. Eighty-eight percent say equal opportunities for transgender people have gone too far, nearly double the 48 percent national average. Sixty percent hold views placing them in the most authoritarian third of the British public.
The demographic divide driving Reform's ascent proves equally stark. Forty percent of voters with qualifications below A-level support the party, while just nine percent of graduates do. Reform commands 28 percent support among men versus 19 percent among women, a nine-point gender gap that has widened since the 2024 general election.
Curtice states Reform has effectively absorbed the coalition that voted for Boris Johnson in 2019 to get Brexit done. He says the party has been eating the Tories for "breakfast, lunch and dinner" in terms of peeling off right-leaning voters.
Current polling confirms Reform's dominant position on the right. The party hovers at 26 to 27 percent support, ahead of Labour at 17 to 19 percent and the Conservatives at 18 to 19 percent. This marks a structural shift in British politics, with Reform standing as the principal right-wing force.
The broader electorate has also moved in directions congenial to Reform's platform. The average respondent has grown more authoritarian since 2022 on the survey's libertarian-authoritarian dimension, tracked since 1986. Public attitudes on immigration, transgender policy, and equalities have all shifted toward socially conservative positions.
Professor Tim Bale of Queen Mary University London states the results look as if the message from opinion polls for months has been spot-on. He notes Reform is currently leader of the pack in an increasingly multiparty system and, just as importantly, top dog on the right of British politics.
Reform voters show independence from establishment narratives through their skepticism of experts. YouGov data published June 3 finds Reform supporters are noticeably less trusting of experts than other voting groups. Trust in local GPs among Reform voters dropped from 84 percent to 71 percent since 2017, while trust in nurses fell eight points.
Gawain Towler wrote in his analysis that the British Social Attitudes survey remains the gold standard of its kind. He notes the 43rd report's findings demand careful reading because they are simultaneously more encouraging and more challenging for the party than headline writers have conveyed.
Reform's electoral performance validates its structural position. The party won 1,431 council seats in England's May 2026 local elections, up from 677 the previous year. In Scotland, Reform secured 17 MSPs, tying with Labour for second place in the Scottish Parliament. These gains followed the party's breakthrough in the 2024 general election, when it won eight parliamentary seats.
Support for Reform runs deeper than cultural issues alone. Sixty percent of backers are very dissatisfied with the NHS, nine points above the 51 percent national average. Sixty-eight percent say their income has fallen behind prices in the last year. Seventy-five percent believe Britain's governing system needs a great deal of improvement, nearly double the 39 percent national figure.
Curtice notes the party's future prospects do not simply rest on whether the economy and health service turn around before the next election. He adds they also rest heavily on whether Reform can continue persuading Britain's more socially conservative voters that it best represents their views.
With mainstream parties still catering to urban, socially liberal coalitions, Reform's ideological hold appears increasingly solid. The party now commands the loyalty of the 2019 Conservative coalition while maintaining a distinct cultural conservative platform that resonates with a significant portion of the British electorate. For millions of voters across Britain, Reform offers something the establishment has failed to provide: a political home that reflects their convictions.