General Election 2024 most important issues for Cambridgeshire voters

The three most important issues for Cambridgeshire voters ahead of the general election are immigration, the NHS and the economy, according to a CambridgeshireLive survey. However, most of those surveyed are unconvinced that their vote will make a difference – with 327 believing it will and 319 believing it will not.

These findings come from a survey of 645 Cambridgeshire locals. Over half of respondents were over 60, and more than 60 percent were men. Over 40 percent of respondents were between 31 and 60, while just over six percent were younger than 30.

In response to a question about the most important issue influencing the way they vote, 185 chose immigration, 181 chose the NHS and 155 chose the economy. Public transport, crime and conflict in the Middle East were the three least-popular choices, with 12, 14 and 15 votes respectively.

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The survey picked out specific themes for locals to air their views about, one of which was the NHS. More than 80 percent of respondents felt the NHS had declined since the Conservative Party was elected 10 years ago.

Just 15 individuals said the NHS had improved, and 69 described “no difference” in the last decade. On the subject of Brexit, more than 60 percent of people, 368 individuals, said the decision to leave the EU had made life worse.

One hundred people said it had made life better and the remaining 176 believed it had made no difference. Turning to the cost of living crisis, 409 people said they had enough money to live on and 222 said they did not.

Most respondents to the survey were from South Cambridgeshire, with 218 from this area. There were 140 from Cambridge, 111 from East Cambridgeshire, 88 from Huntingdonshire and 48 from Fenland.

The proportion of people from East Cambridgeshire who said they did not have enough money to live on was just under 37 percent. This proportion was 35 percent in Cambridge, 33 percent in Fenland, 32 percent in South Cambridgeshire and 31 percent in Huntingdonshire.

While some said the cost of living crisis had not impacted them, it is clear that many are struggling. One respondent wrote: “I only eat one meal a day” while another said “I can barely afford to heat my home”.

Many people mentioned the “expensive” cost of food and the idea that pensions do not cover the cost of living. One person wrote: “At the age of 71, I can’t afford to retire on the government pension”.