by Sunny Hundal

Despite attempts by the right-wing media to malign them, the #occupyLSX protesters in London maintain widespread support amongst voters.

A poll by YouGov asked for the Sunday Times today: Regardless of whether or not you agree with them protesting outside St Paul’s Cathedral, do you support or oppose the aims of the protesters?

39% of people questioned supported them, while only 26% opposed them. 35% were not sure.

Disappointingly however, there was more support for legal action to remove the protesters from outside St Paul’s Cathedral. 47% thought the Cathedral should take legal action, while 39% were opposed to such an action. 13% didn’t know.

A large proportion also felt Dr Giles Fraser, the former Chancellor of the Cathedral, was wrong to resign (42%) over the controversy. 31% said he was right to resign while 27% weren’t sure.

Similar support for the #occupy movement has been found by other polling.

An ICM poll last week asked:

You may have seen or heard that there are currently protests against capitalism and the financial system around the world, including on Wall Street in New York and in the City of London. Which one of the following statements do you most agree with?

38% of responders chose: ‘The protesters are naive; there is no practical alternative to capitalism – the point is to get it moving again’.

But a massive 52% chose: ‘The protesters are right to want to call time on a system that puts profit before people’

(‘both’ was chosen by 2% while 3% chose ‘neither’ and 6% didn’t know)