Study shows terrorism became more important voter issue after Manchester attack

According to a new study by the University of Exeter, terrorism became a more important issue for voters during the 2017 general election, as a result of the Manchester attack.

The figures show that following the attack, security became as pressing an issue as Brexit.

The study shows that before the attack, 40 per cent of people who took part in a survey named the EU or Brexit as the most important issue facing the country and 12 per cent named terrorism or security. Following the bombing, 26 per cent of respondents named Europe as the most important issue, while 33 per cent named terrorism or related issues.

The bombing happened on 22 May, while the general election was on 8th June.

They researchers were not able to say they were sure that the increase is a result of the attack. However, people living near to Manchester and London were most likely to identify terrorism as the most important issue after the bombing.

The paper was written by Professor Dan Stevens and Professor Susan Banducci from the University of Exeter and published in the Political Psychology journal.

Data was collected during the 2017 general election where people were surveyed as part of the British Election Study (BES) panel.

The researchers assessed the relationship between people's distance from Manchester, or London if interviewed after the June 3 attack, and how important terrorism as an issue was to them. Before the attack, proximity to Manchester and London made no difference, but was associated with a greater likelihood to identity terrorism as the most important issue after the attack.