Survey: What do Warwick Students think of Jeremy Corbyn?

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ince Jeremy Corbyn’s recent election as Labour leader, the media’s response (both in favour of, though most notably against him) has reached unprecedented heights.
I admit I can’t remember much of Ed Miliband’s election in 2010 other than the infamous Ed vs. David controversy, in which the tabloids created a ridiculous Cain and Abel soap opera.

opinion polls become outdated right as they’re published.

But without question this time there’s something… different, and we can’t put our finger on it.
Are we to be hopeful or worried? And with the next General Election in 2020, is it worth having an opinion yet at all?
I recently conducted a survey amongst Warwick students to gauge their initial reactions to the new leader.
With news stories pouring in each day about Trident, the National Anthem and the Shadow Cabinet, opinion polls become outdated right as they’re published.

Of the students who had attended private and grammar schools, the vast majority voted Conservative in the 2015 election

But it’s important nonetheless to understand what students believe in these early stages, especially since Corbyn specifically wishes to reach out to us, saying we are “a very political generation that were turned off by the way in which politics was being conducted […] Labour] must change that.”
Some of the results weren’t all too surprising.
Of the students who had attended private and grammar schools, the vast majority voted Conservative in the 2015 election, and disapprove of most – if not all – of Corbyn’s political positions and statements.
Likewise, state school students typically voted Labour and feel positive about the party.
Nothing out of the ordinary, with opinions diverting at the expected junctures.
However, some opinions were shared across all voting and non-voting participants; namely a certain ambiguity about Labour’s future prospects.

the radical left-winger is likely to be a better leader than his predecessor, the already left-branded ‘Red Ed’.

Looking across the data there is an overwhelming feeling of positivity about the new leadership.
But today’s optimism does not preclude tomorrow’s scepticism.
In fact, though many Labour supporters agree with a number of Corbyn’s principles, a surprising number believe he won the election not because he was a strong candidate, but that his fellow runners were so poor by comparison.
In response to the question, ‘Do you think Labour now has a stronger or weaker chance of winning the 2020 General Election?’ the results across the board are mixed, with little correlation to participants’ previous answers.
There was a similar ambiguity regarding whether the radical left-winger is likely to be a better leader than his predecessor, the already left-branded ‘Red Ed’.
No matter a student’s demographics, or how concrete or vague their political alliances, what’s clear is that politics is going to change.
But with so much media content about the election in such a concentrated period of time, it’s hard enough keeping up with the present, never mind predicting what the political landscape may look like in the future.