Steve Akehurst
@steveakehurst.bsky.social
Politics, policy, public attitudes. Work in polling and comms. Director, Persuasion UK. ex- Shelter, civil service and various other things. 🏳️🌈
https://persuasionuk.org/about
https://strongmessagehere.substack.com/
https://persuasionuk.org/about
https://strongmessagehere.substack.com/
good question but not sure - would need to find a long-term dataset with that question in it! but i don't see why they would necessarily?
November 7, 2025 at 3:12 PM
good question but not sure - would need to find a long-term dataset with that question in it! but i don't see why they would necessarily?
Possibly! Hadn’t thought of that. Was mostly just thinking “well yeh if you came of age in the 90s you probably thought the world was going to be great forever”
November 7, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Possibly! Hadn’t thought of that. Was mostly just thinking “well yeh if you came of age in the 90s you probably thought the world was going to be great forever”
Meanwhile, Gen X is the only generation with a plurality that feel mugged by reality.
Possibly explains some of the disproportionate popularity of Reform, Trump etc with this cohort?
Possibly explains some of the disproportionate popularity of Reform, Trump etc with this cohort?
November 7, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Agreed. Very keen to look at this in the context of less artificial info environments about who can win and lose locally.
November 5, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Agreed. Very keen to look at this in the context of less artificial info environments about who can win and lose locally.
Yeh those cycles have sped up in ways that are terrifying, and candidates and issues still matter, but in the US esp it did a huge amount of work in 2020, 2024, last night and will do next year too
November 5, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Yeh those cycles have sped up in ways that are terrifying, and candidates and issues still matter, but in the US esp it did a huge amount of work in 2020, 2024, last night and will do next year too
Yeh it’s just New York etc but he is not and won’t be the last candidate in this mould. Democratic mid term and Presidential primaries are going to be really interesting.
November 5, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Yeh it’s just New York etc but he is not and won’t be the last candidate in this mould. Democratic mid term and Presidential primaries are going to be really interesting.
And @ecourea.bsky.social’s great full piece www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Prospect of breaking 50-year income tax taboo shows scale of Reeves’s challenge
The chancellor appears to believe voters will forgive a broken promise in return for meaningful investment
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:44 PM
And @ecourea.bsky.social’s great full piece www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Or if you’re feeling lazier still here’s the summary thread bsky.app/profile/stev...
Ahead of Budget, where do voters stand on tax and the dilemmas facing government?
Big new @persuasionuk.bsky.social report out today on this.
TL;DR as risky as breaching the manifesto is for Lab - failing on public services, cost of living and child poverty is *far riskier* for Lab.
🧵
Big new @persuasionuk.bsky.social report out today on this.
TL;DR as risky as breaching the manifesto is for Lab - failing on public services, cost of living and child poverty is *far riskier* for Lab.
🧵
November 4, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Or if you’re feeling lazier still here’s the summary thread bsky.app/profile/stev...
Full thing: persuasionuk.org/research/bud...
Substack overview: strongmessagehere.substack.com/p/understand...
Substack overview: strongmessagehere.substack.com/p/understand...
Understanding voter attitudes to the 2025 Budget
Stepping into the land of least worst options.
strongmessagehere.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Full thing: persuasionuk.org/research/bud...
Substack overview: strongmessagehere.substack.com/p/understand...
Substack overview: strongmessagehere.substack.com/p/understand...
Tired: in the face of fascism we must Decide to Win by moderating our positions on key issues
Wired: let’s just run a hot guy with an Argentinian hockey player as a boyfriend
Wired: let’s just run a hot guy with an Argentinian hockey player as a boyfriend
October 31, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Tired: in the face of fascism we must Decide to Win by moderating our positions on key issues
Wired: let’s just run a hot guy with an Argentinian hockey player as a boyfriend
Wired: let’s just run a hot guy with an Argentinian hockey player as a boyfriend
You only adopted the woke, he was born to it etc
October 31, 2025 at 3:15 PM
You only adopted the woke, he was born to it etc
is the lesson 'get a $20 billion bailout from your fash mates' in the White House?
October 30, 2025 at 4:57 PM
is the lesson 'get a $20 billion bailout from your fash mates' in the White House?
By this logic a centre-left government can never do centre-left things. Which sometimes is the impression you get from govt frankly
October 29, 2025 at 9:29 PM
By this logic a centre-left government can never do centre-left things. Which sometimes is the impression you get from govt frankly
Not popular just less toxic than failing on public services, energy bills, child poverty etc. Which appears to be the choice at hand sadly
October 29, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Not popular just less toxic than failing on public services, energy bills, child poverty etc. Which appears to be the choice at hand sadly
Probably true tbh but it didn’t sound as catchy! Was scrabbling around for report titles which I’m always bad at
October 29, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Probably true tbh but it didn’t sound as catchy! Was scrabbling around for report titles which I’m always bad at