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UK public more likely to see politics as short-termist than people in other European countries, study finds New polling across six European countries reveals differences in perceptions of political short-termism and what voters understand by short- and long-term policies. People in the UK are more likely to view their country's politics as focused on the short term than people in five other European countries, according to new polling from Queen Mary University of London. 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% of UK respondents believe British politics is focused on the long term. The UK was the only country polled in which those who thought politics focussed on the short term outnumbered those who thought it long-termist. The most long-termist country was Spain, in which 39% of respondents thought their politics was long-termist, with just 21% saying short term.
How perceptions differ across society The findings also reveal differences in perceptions of political short-termism according to income, education, age and voting behaviour.
- Income: Higher earners were generally more likely to perceive politics as focussed 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 (39% versus 12%) and Italy (36% versus 16%).
- Education: University graduates were more likely than non-graduates to see politics as short-termist. This included 38% of graduates in France compared with 22% of non-graduates, 36% versus 24% in Germany, and 30% versus 21% in Poland.
- Age: Older respondents were generally more likely to view politics as more 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. The equivalent figures were 42% versus 21% in Germany and 39% versus 27% in Italy.
- Voting behaviour: In some countries, support for populist parties was associated with a greater likelihood of viewing politics as focused on the long term. In Spain, for example, 49% of those who voted for Vox held this view, compared with 35% of PSOE voters.
What do voters understand by short-term 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 politicians referring to short-term results to mean within two or three years.
- However, expectations varied by policy area. In the UK, France, Germany and Italy, respondents associated short-term environmental policy outcomes with longer timeframes of four to five years. Similar expectations were found for housing policies in Poland and Italy.
- For long-term policy outcomes, respondents generally understood politicians to mean results within five or six years across most policy areas.
- Longer timeframes were associated with environmental policies, reaching 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 in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Poland.
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. Similar patterns were found in Italy (73% versus 7%) and Spain (74% versus 3%).
- 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. In Poland, 38% attributed short-termism mainly to politicians compared with 32% to voters, while the equivalent figures were 37% and 23% in France, and 43% and 25% in Italy.
- 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, 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. 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." 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." 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." The full research findings are available in the accompanying PDF presentation, attached to this press release. -END- About the research Time is of the Essence? Perceptions of short-termism and long-termism in politics across Europe was conducted by Matthew Barnfield, Karl Pike and Philip Cowley at Queen Mary University of London's Mile End Institute. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The survey involved 7,611 adults across six European countries: Country - Sample size UK - 2,232 France - 1,162 Germany - 1,072 Italy - 1,002 Spain - 1,028 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 each country. About the Mile End Institute The Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London brings together researchers, policymakers and the wider public to explore politics, public policy and contemporary political issues. Further information: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/mei/ Press enquiries James Cleeton Faculty Communications Officer, Humanities and Social Sciences Queen Mary University of London | j.cleeton@qmul.ac.uk
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