We want to bring diverse public voices into conversations about political party finance regulation and to help the Electoral Commission broaden its understanding of how the UK public feels about the current system and potential options for change. We will generate quantifiable data on the public’s priorities as well as the rationale behind these to create a clear, prioritised blueprint to inform the Commission’s future work. Ultimately, we hope this work will contribute to a more transparent and trusted political system, where citizens understand and have confidence in how political parties are funded.

Political finance regulation sits at the heart of democratic trust, yet public understanding of current rules and proposed reforms remains limited. Without meaningful public engagement on these issues, policy changes risk missing the mark on what actually builds trust in our political system.

With the elections bill expected in early 2026, understanding public opinion on the current political finance system, and potential reforms, is more important than ever.

Over the years, the Electoral Commission has kept track of public attitudes through polling, but there has been limited qualitative research to help them understand the public’s priorities and rationale in more depth. 

Through this work, we will: 

• assess public awareness and understanding of current rules regarding political parties and political donations 
• uncover people’s key concerns about current systems and views on proposed changes
• explore how people feel about the trade-offs that are involved in making reforms
• put these findings into the broader context of attitudes toward UK politics and politicians

This research will not focus on the amount elected officials are paid, the systems for claiming expenses, lobbying, the system for MPs declaring other paid work or interests, and the system for upholding the standards of behaviour in UK parliaments.

We will run nine mini deliberative polling workshops with 80 participants from across the UK using the Centre for Collective Intelligence’s Zeitgeist platform. This approach allows us to bring together diverse groups of people for structured, informed discussions that go beyond traditional polling or focus groups.

Participants will work through information about current political finance regulations, hear different perspectives on proposed reforms, and deliberate together on the complex trade-offs involved in building a system that enhances public trust. Deliberations will focus on the central question: "How might the way we regulate political party funding help us to build public trust in our political system?". 

We will run sessions with participants from each of the four nations, and also hold one session with 16-17 year olds from across the UK. The workshops will be designed to ensure we hear from people with varied political views, demographic backgrounds, and levels of prior knowledge about political finance.

Our partners

The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. 

New Citizen Project is a strategy and innovation consultancy with a belief that, given the right opportunity, people can and will shape the things that matter to them for the better. In this project, New Citizen Project will lead on the content and session design, with support from the Centre for Collective Intelligence.

We are grateful to colleagues at the Electoral Commission who will contribute their time and advice to this project.