Almost 60% of Welsh voters are unaware of how the new system will work in May’s Senedd elections and there is confusion over devolution powers, a report has found.
Polling research published on Wednesday by Cardiff University and YouGov suggested that 26 years since devolution began, many voters remain unsure which political decisions belong to Cardiff Bay and which to Westminster.
A third of respondents were still unaware that health and education are devolved to the Welsh Government, and only 1% correctly identify who has responsibility for eight key policy areas.
Almost 70% of people answered incorrectly or did not know that the police in Wales, unlike Scotland, are under the control of the UK government, and 29% were wrong or did not know that immigration policy is decided by Westminster.
Only 7% of people knew that May’s crucial vote will be held under a new closed list system, and 58% did not know what voting system will be used, according to the representative poll of 1,544 people carried out in February.
Professor Stephen Cushion, lead researcher, said the results raised “urgent questions” about public access to political information in the run-up to the election.
“During an election period, these gaps are important for democratic accountability because people need to make a well-informed decision about who will govern Wales in the years to come,” he said.
Some of the confusion can be attributed to media consumption, he said. UK-wide media outlets remain the main source of news for 46% of respondents, compared to 10% who mainly use Welsh-focused and Welsh-produced news.
Almost half of those surveyed said media across the UK did a poor job of reporting on Wales, with the main reason given, at 19%, being that they were too focused on London and the south-east of England.
The researchers found that respondents struggled to place the news in the correct constitutional context; For example, they misinterpreted a story on the BBC website about a strike by junior doctors in England only as in the entire United Kingdom.
“UK-focused news may blur constitutional lines for audiences in Wales. Clearer labeling would help voters match party promises with the correct level of government in May,” Cushion said.
Recognition of Welsh political figures was uneven. The first minister, Eluned Morgan of the Labor Party, was recognized by 62% of participants, while her likely successor, Rhun ap Iorwerth of Plaid Cymru, was recognized by 47%.
Dan Thomas, who was named Reform leader in Wales last month, was correctly identified by 10% of respondents, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was almost universally recognized at 94%.
Thomas is likely to become leader of the opposition in the Senedd and could even be first minister after the May election, in which polls consistently suggest Plaid Cymru and Reform will push incumbent Welsh Labor into third place, ending more than 100 years of Labor hegemony.
