'Are Ukip racist?' – top Google searches for each UK political party.


Users of Google in March also wanted to know why the Conservative party is known as the Tories, and whether Londoners can vote SNP
"Why is the Conservative party called Tory?".
“Why is the Conservative party called the Tories?”. Photograph: Andrew Parsons/Zuma Press/Corbis

Google is a fount of knowledge for all would-be UK voters trying to get a grasp on the political landscape before next month’s general election. The bad news for Ukip is that the public are mostly preoccupied with finding out whether it is racist or not.

Exclusive data provided to the Guardian by Google Trends reveals the commonest search terms related to each party in the UK in March. For Farage’s party it was “Are Ukip racist?” followed by “Why should I not vote for Ukip?”
On the flip side, people are more interested in the policies of Ukip than any other party.
Here’s how the parties rank, when sorted by the number of Google searches for their party name, followed by “policies”:
  1. Ukip policies
  2. Green party policies
  3. Labour policies
  4. Conservative policies
  5. BNP policies
  6. SNP policies
  7. DUP policies
  8. Lib Dem policies
  9. Sinn Féin policies
  10. FUKP policies (Al Murray’s anti-Ukip protest party)
There are a few striking things about this list:
First, Ukip and the Greens – often characterised as protest votes – are ahead of Labour and the Conservatives, the two parties most likely to lead the next government.
Second, the far-right BNP – which is not really registering at all on national polls – have policies more likely to be searched for than the Lib Dems.
Al Murray’s anti-Ukip protest party is in last place – but it is only running in South Thanet where the comedian is up against the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage.
Good news for Ed Miliband – interest in the Labour leader spiked way ahead of all other party leaders after his appearance on last Thursday’s televised interview and Q&A.
Some of the searches are not particularly election-related (most people are only just tuning in to the campaign). For example, the most popular question about the Conservatives is why the party is also called the Tories?
The search data also confirms the fervour around Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish Nationalists is not confined within Scotland’s borders. One of the top queries about the SNP is “Can people live in London and vote SNP?”
The full set of questions reveals how voters are interested in the record of the Lib Dems in government, what the Labour party stands for, and also hints at the likely concentration and niche aspect of the Greens’ vote.
Those in the east of England, where Ukip is particularly popular according to the polls, want to know what Farage would actually do if the UK left the EU.
Here is the full list:

Top questions relating to the Conservative party in the UK

  1. Why are the Conservative party called Tory?
  2. Who is the Conservative party?
  3. How many Tory MPs are there in Scotland?
  4. Who is the leader of the Conservative party?
  5. How do I join the Conservative party?
Other interesting notes: in the north-east of England the top two searches for the Conservatives are 1. “How likely is it that the Conservative party will win 350 seats?” (a majority) and 2. “Who is Grant Shapps?” – a very good question, indeed.

Top questions relating to the Labour party in the UK

  1. Why should I vote Labour?
  2. How many Labour MPs are there in Scotland?
  3. What does the Labour party stand for?
  4. Who is the leader of the Labour party?
  5. How do I become a Labour MP?
Other interesting notes: in London, the second-biggest query about Labour is “What is the difference between Labour party and the Tories?”. Conservative strategists will be happy that in the east of England, the public is asking whether Labour caused the crash. In the south-west, the top query is “Will Labour do more for the country than Ukip?”

Top questions relating to Ukip in the UK

  1. Are Ukip racist?
  2. Why should I not vote for Ukip?
  3. What do Ukip stand for?
  4. What will happen if Ukip win?
  5. What is the Ukip immigration policy?
Other interesting notes: in the east of England, the fourth biggest query is “What would Nigel Farage do if the UK left the EU?”

Top questions relating to the Lib Dems in the UK

  1. What have the Lib Dems done in government?
  2. Which party are the Lib Dems most similar to?
  3. How much influence have the Lib Dems had in the coalition?
  4. What promises did the Lib Dems give up?
  5. What are Lib Dem policies?

Top questions relating to the SNP in the UK

  1. What was the SNP manifesto when they first came to power?
  2. Where are the SNP getting their figures relating to the end of austerity?
  3. What are Alex Salmond’s biggest mistakes?
  4. How many SNP seats are there in Westminster?
  5. Can people live in London and vote for the SNP?

Top questions relating to the Green party in the UK

  1. What are the Green party’s policies?
  2. How can I get involved in the Green party in the Cotswolds?
  3. Why should I vote for the Green party?
  4. How many votes does the Green party need to win?
  5. What does the Green party think about HS2?
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