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Only 5% of Greater Manchester residents have high levels of trust in their politicians, and only 11% have high levels of trust in their MP
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Nearly a quarter of Greater Manchester residents have high levels of trust in the Greater Manchester Mayor
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59% of Mancunians support the proposal for a Greater Manchester citizens’ assembly
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Oldham (68% support), Bolton (64%) and Rochdale (62%) are the Greater Manchester boroughs most in favour of a Greater Manchester citizens’ assembly
Greater Manchester residents have extremely low levels of trust in politicians and national political institutions, and a clear majority support the establishment of a Greater Manchester citizens’ assembly, latest polling shows. Online polling by Omnisis shows that almost 50% of Mancunians have extremely low trust in politicians (0-2 on a 0-10 point scale).
Only 13% of Greater Manchester residents have high levels of trust in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Although, notably 24% have a high level of trust in the Greater Manchester Mayor.
“Greater Manchester residents' trust in politicians and national political institutions is at rock-bottom. But there are alternatives: a significant majority support the idea of a citizens' assembly to give us more of a say in the decisions that impact us all,” said Liv Ouwehand, organiser for the Greater Manchester Citizens’ Assembly campaign.
Two of the Greater Manchester boroughs with strongest support for a Greater Manchester Citizens’ Assembly, Oldham and Rochdale, are areas with some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country.
‘It’s not surprising that people at the sharp end of the housing and cost of living crises are the people most open to a new and better way of making decisions,’ said Ouwehand. ‘Manchester has always led the way when it comes to people power and innovation. It’s time we led the way by establishing the first permanent and powerful citizens’ assembly in the country.”
The polling breaks down levels of trust by borough, gender and age, giving an insight into trust levels across Greater Manchester.
In the wake of the Gorton and Denton by-election, residents were asked what they felt about the future political direction of the city, with results almost evenly split between positive (‘hopeful’ ‘reassured’) and negative (‘disappointed’ ‘concerned’).
Dr Ryan Swift, Research Fellow at IPPR North said: “There is a crisis of trust in our politics. That fact is laid bare as we see trust in politicians at rock bottom levels across Greater Manchester. People still feel that politics is something that is done to them, not with them. All too often citizens are merely spectators as decisions are taken that shape their lives. This must change. More innovative approaches to decision-making and the creation of a citizen’s assembly in the region is a crucial first step. Greater Manchester has led the way on devolution, now they should do the same on democratic reform.”
The polling was carried out by polling and research company Omnisis on behalf of the Greater Manchester Citizens’ Assembly Campaign supported by not-for-profit Sortition Foundation and leading think tank IPPR North.
A petition calling on GM Mayor Andy Burnham and the GMCA to support the proposal has reached close to 1000 signatures: https://www.gmcitizensassembly.org/petition.
ENDS
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
- A citizen’s assembly is a group of people, selected to be representative of the UK population, who are brought together to hear evidence, discuss an issue and reach an informed conclusion.
- The campaign for a Greater Manchester Citizens’ Assembly: https://www.gmcitizensassembly.org/
- The 858 project campaigns to embed deliberative democracy, including replacing the House of Lords with a House of Citizens: www.858.org.uk
- IPPR North is the leading think-tank for the north of England, a charitable organisation developing bold ideas for a stronger economy and prosperous places and people. Read their latest report, https://www.ippr.org/articles/making-the-most-of-it
- Detailed results