Selected Case Studies

In tandem with his support for Conservative candidates in marginal seats at the 2005 general election, Michael Ashcroft commissioned a programme of research, with the aim of building a clear picture of public opinion on the questions that would determine the outcome of the general election.

As well as measuring the true level of support for the parties he sought to establish the underlying attributes associated with each, and how these changed during the course of the election campaign. Crucially, he also aimed to establish whether the state of opinion in marginal constituencies reflected that in Britain as a whole.

Populus contributed to this process with a series of groundbreaking pieces of research, including the biggest political poll ever conducted in Britain, with a sample of 10,000. This included:

• a tracking poll monitoring daily movements in opinion from January 2005 until the May election
• polls and focus groups in specific marginal constituencies around the country
• a national post-election ‘call-back’ survey to establish why people voted as they did

Based on this and other research Lord Ashcroft published Smell The Coffee: A Wake-Up Call For The Conservative Party (which can be read here).

The publication was widely reviewed in the media as an important contribution to political debate and helped establish the author’s reputation as a leading advocate of reform in the Conservative Party, of which he was appointed Deputy Chairman in December 2005.