Calum Weir
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cwp-weir.bsky.social
Calum Weir
@cwp-weir.bsky.social
Research Manager at Labour Together 📈 - Opinions all my own - He/Him
Yesterday, we put out a report on the most important issues to voters.

We know that immigration now tops the traditional most important issues question (see below from @yougov.co.uk).

But that doesn't tell the full story.

Here is a rundown of the experiments we did to test this out (A THREAD):
November 17, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Reposted by Calum Weir
Pollsters who ask questions that add nuance are rewarded with a richer look at the public’s outlook argues Labour Together's @cwp-weir.bsky.social
‘Bread, circuses, and polling errors: Are we truly measuring what matters?’ – LabourList
The most important part of the body politic is the stomach. The eyes can be distracted, the ears can be blasted with noise, but the…
labourlist.org
November 16, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by Calum Weir
This is a great post on how to understand what’s important to people - it’s shocking that this might be news to political decision makers
November 16, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Reposted by Calum Weir
Essential reading from Calum Weir - on findings from some innovative polling from Labour Together.

His words
"Immigration is salient, polarising and important.
Cost of living is foundational, unifying and in some ways, even more important."

labourlist.org/2025/11/immi...

@cwp-weir.bsky.social
'Bread, circuses, and polling errors: Are we truly measuring what matters?' - LabourList
Pollsters who ask questions that add nuance are rewarded with a richer look at the public’s outlook argues Labour Together's Calum Weir.
labourlist.org
November 16, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Reposted by Calum Weir
Top top work here from @cwp-weir.bsky.social
November 16, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Calum Weir
I found this so interesting. We talk about polling results endlessly but rarely discuss how we ask the questions. This salience vs importance question is fascinating.
November 16, 2025 at 10:19 AM
As immigration dominates the brief this morning, here’s my two cents on the salience vs. the importance of the issue:

labourlist.org/2025/11/immi...

(Full report linked below - Many thanks to @emmaburnell.bsky.social!!)
'Bread, circuses, and polling errors: Are we truly measuring what matters?' - LabourList
Pollsters who ask questions that add nuance are rewarded with a richer look at the public’s outlook argues Labour Together's Calum Weir.
labourlist.org
November 16, 2025 at 10:09 AM
On the service to barking, no less
November 12, 2025 at 9:03 AM
This photo from a local Bath FC match just feels very wholesome
November 1, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by Calum Weir
Today’s newsletter: some thoughts on a shocking new poll and a great speech by John Major:
Labour best placed to become ‘Stop Reform’ force — if it improves
Party slumps to 17% in new poll, as John Major urges Tories to use strengths against Nigel Farage’s party
www.ft.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Did you know that the invention of vampires being scared of the dawn / the sun / the rooster crowing is actually a Chinese invention, and older than the publication of Dracula??

It’s in the Zi Buyu which (like me) you can horrendously google translate through this: zh.wikisource.org/zh-hans/%E5%...
子不语/卷12 - 维基文库,自由的图书馆
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hans/子不語/卷12?utm_source=chatgpt.com
October 10, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Reposted by Calum Weir
The map below shows how far behind France and Germany we are in mass transit. In France, every place with over 150,000 people has some form of tram or metro.

But if mayoral areas can 'become builders' as @tracybrabinmayorwy.bsky.social puts it in the foreword, we can turn this around.

🧵

1/9
October 9, 2025 at 7:10 AM
If you asked me to imagine the most French looking man ever, seeing this would exceed all my wildest expectations
October 6, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Ridiculous headline, not much better polling phrasing either

Agree-disagree scales! I weep
September 21, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Calum Weir
A majority of Labour party members - who are on any metric rather more socially liberal than the average voter - back ID cards. Plenty of polling showing they are popular with voters in general. Perhaps the zombie myth that British voters oppose them will die at last?

labourlist.org/2025/09/digi...
Majority of Labour members back digital ID card rollout, poll reveals - LabourList
A majority of Labour members want to see the government introduce a digital ID card system, an exclusive poll for LabourList reveals.
labourlist.org
September 3, 2025 at 11:38 AM
RIP Giorgio Armani
September 4, 2025 at 1:28 PM
This screenshot on the last TikTok I watched has absolutely floored me - Pure Cinema
August 29, 2025 at 7:53 PM
If you see me staring into the distance today, this is what I’m thinking about
genuinely losing in, what is the food in this tesco advert
July 30, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Calum Weir
genuinely losing in, what is the food in this tesco advert
July 29, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Spotted in Bristol - A 2005 poster featuring Tim Martin boasting about “Wetherspoon’s Value”
July 26, 2025 at 6:11 PM
I think I may have a whole tube to myself? What do I do? Run up and down? Play my music out loud? The world is full of possibilities and that’s the scariest thing of all
July 17, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Reposted by Calum Weir
Yes, that's the point. Folks, its already hard to reach 18-24 year olds, loads harder among 18-24 non-grads who are very important to survey, and if we want to understand 18-24 non-grad-males (who may vote Reform), it becomes harder still.

Its not impossible, but its hard already.
I have *some* faith that panel providers will be forced to go hell for leather on this - Should at least be easier on a UK-wide sample but you would think the same for 18-24 👀
July 17, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Reposted by Calum Weir
PS. We'll need to be careful about polls of 16-17 yr olds until we have good confidence in samples and adjusting for turnout.

I say Greens only because its Greens who are capturing protest votes from Labour among young voters atm, and may be able to mobilise preferences>votes.
The critical things here aren't, in my opinion, "people don't want this" or "young people will vote X/Y", its:

How might this change political representation, policy offers, opportunities for building political identities among new voters, and maybe some people think Labour stands for young people.
July 17, 2025 at 10:50 AM