60% of Welsh voters unaware of how new system will work in May elections

"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. Only 7% of people knew that May's crucial vote will be held under a new closed list system, and 58% did not know which voting system will be used, according to the representative poll of 1,544 people, conducted in February."

"One-third of respondents still did not know that health and education are devolved to the Welsh government, with only 1% correctly identifying who has responsibility for eight key policy areas. Nearly 70% of people either answered incorrectly or did not know that policing in Wales, unlike Scotland, is under UK government control."

"Prof Stephen Cushion, the 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 matter for democratic accountability because people need to make a well-informed decision about who will be running Wales over the next few years."

"UK-wide media outlets remain the primary news source for 46% of respondents, compared with 10% who use mainly Wales-focused and Wales-produced news. Almost half of respondents said UK-wide outlets did a bad job of reporting on Wales, and the biggest reason given, at 19%, was that it was too focused on London and south-east England."

A Cardiff University and YouGov poll reveals significant knowledge gaps among Welsh voters regarding devolution and the upcoming Senedd elections. Nearly 60% are unaware of the new closed list voting system, while only 1% correctly identify responsibility for eight key policy areas. One-third don't know health and education are devolved, 70% misunderstand policing arrangements, and 29% are confused about immigration policy. These gaps undermine democratic accountability as voters cannot make well-informed decisions. Media consumption patterns contribute substantially to confusion, with 46% relying primarily on UK-wide outlets compared to 10% using Wales-focused news. UK-wide media outlets receive criticism for over-focusing on London and south-east England rather than Welsh issues.

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