What political party do top football team fans support
Liverpool has the lowest share of Labour voters out of the top football teams, while Manchester City has the highest proportion of Reform UK voters, polling shows.
More in Common unveiled the findings this morning after carried out the polling of the Big Six teams, excluding Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite the historical strength of support for Labour in the city, it found Liverpool has the lowest share of supporters - some 27% - who say they intend to vote for Keir Starmer's party. Chelsea supporters are the most likely to vote for the Conservatives at 27% of any of the Big Six clubs, but also the most likely to vote for the Labour Party at 34% - joint with Man City. It comes after England's Euro 2025 winners to lose a major chunk of prize money after return home.
Across all the teams on average, Reform UK came on top with 29% planning to vote for the party. Of the fans of other clubs in the Premier League, Reform UK also came on top with over a third (34%) planning to vote for Nigel Farage's party. The party also came first in rankings among fans of lower league teams (33%) and among non-football fans (28%).
Of the Big Six, Manchester City supporters (29%) are most likely to vote for Reform UK. But supporters of smaller clubs, even elsewhere in the Premier League, are far more likely to support Reform UK (34% versus 27% of Big Six supporters).
The polling also looked into the spread of fan bases across the country. Manchester United remains the most supported team in Britain, despite their recent on-field challenges, and is even the most supported team among Londoners. Chelsea have the most local fanbase with 35% of their fans living in London, while less than a quarter of fans for the remaining clubs live in the same region as the club they support.
Elsewhere polling of 18-40-year-old Britons has found that 38% of young Britons think racism in football is growing, while a further 36% say that the level of racism in football is not changing. Only a quarter (26%) think the problem of racism in football has improved.
Chris Annous, Associate at More in Common, said: 'This research unpacks the surprising political leanings and geographical spread of football fans, revealing how loyalties often defy traditional narratives and expectations.
"It provides crucial insights, demonstrating that fanbases, even among the 'Big Six' clubs, exhibit unexpected voting patterns, like Liverpool having the lowest share of Labour voters despite the city's strong Labour history. Fans and teams are often stereotyped, and these findings show that although supporters can be loyal to one football team, they can be much more varied and volatile when it comes to political support for a party.'
Manchester United
Some 31% of Man United fans intend to vote Labour at the next election, while 24% are leaning towards Reform UK, 20% the Tories, 11% the Lib Dems and 5% the Greens.
Liverpool
Some 27% of Liverpool fans are planning to vote Labour at the next election, with 25% favouring Conservative, 22% Reform UK, 15% Lib Dem and 6% the Greens.
Arsenal
Out of Arsenal fans, 31% are intending to vote Labour, 22% the Tories, 20% Reform UK, 13% the Lib Dems and 11% the Greens. The club has the highest share of Green voters out of the top teams.
Chelsea
Some 34% of Chelsea voters plan to vote Labour, the joint-highest of any of the clubs, while 27% plan to vote Tory, also the highest share. Some 19% of them intend to vote Reform UK, with 10% the Lib Dems and 6% the Greens.
Man City
Out of Man City fans, 34% plan to vote Labour, the joint-highest of any of the top clubs. Some 29% plan to vote Reform, the highest of any of the top clubs, with 18% favouring Reform UK, 8% the Lib Dems and 5% the Greens.
Other Premier League fans
Of the fans of other clubs in the Premier League, over a third (34%) are planning to vote for Reform UK. Some 24% are intending to vote Labour, 13% Tory, 12% Lib Dem and 6% Greens.
Lower league fans
When it comes to fans of lower league teams, Reform UK again comes out on top, with 33% planning to vote for Nigel Farage's party. Some 18% favour Tory, the same proportion intending to vote Labour, while 13% are planning to vote Lib Dem and 8% the Greens.
Non-football fans
Out of people who don't support a football team, 28% are Reform UK voters, 22% are Labour, 19% are Tory, 16% Lib Dem and 8% Greens.
More in Common conducted their surveys between 20-23 June and 18-20 July, with sample sizes of 2,004 and 2,153 respectively.
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