The secrets of the ballot box: Tories earn the most, Labour voters rent their home, Lib Dems are better-educated and almost all Ukip voters are white and retired



New poll shatters image of Ukip supports being disaffected shire Tories

More likely to be a white working class man from the Midlands

Populus survey examines lifestyle, family, race and wages of 14,000 voters

Ofcom rules Ukip must be treated as major party on TV for Euro elections

Comedian Jethro says he has joined Ukip, after Tories 'did nothing' on EU



The secret lives of Britain’s voters has been laid by new research revealing Conservatives are the highest earners, Lib Dems are better educated and Labour voters are least likely to own their own home.

But strikingly the study shows the average Ukip supporter is a white, working class man from the Midlands, shattering the image of Nigel Farage’s appeal stretching only to disaffected shire Tories.

The study comes as it emerged comedian Jethro has joined Ukip, and the watchdog Ofcom ruled that it should be treated as a major party in England and Wales by broadcasters covering this year's European elections.

The survey reveals the stark differences between the appeal of (left to right) David Cameron's Conservatives, Ed Miliband's Labour, Nick Clegg's Lib Dems and Nigel Farage's Ukip



Ukip voters are overwhelmingly male compared to the other parties, who are more evenly split between men and women

Ukip voters are much more likely to be over 65, with Labour having the highest proportion of 18-34-year-olds

The Lib Dems take most of their support from the south, while Labour's appeal is more evenly spread

A major opinion poll of 14,000 people by Populus tracks the age, gender, race, religion and class of voters across the country, and reveals how the major parties appeal to different groups.

Tories emerge as the most middle-class, highest earning, most likely to own their own home and living in the south and Midlands.

Ukip voters are more likely to be older, white, male, married, retired and living on an average income of £25,410.

More Lib Dem voters have a degree, are single and have an average income of £28,730. Almost half of Nick Clegg’s backers live in southern England.

Labour supporters are younger, unmarried, earn only £26,460 and are more likely to work in the private sector than other parties’ supporters.

Laurence Stellings, associate director of Populus, said: ‘If you look beyond the headlines you can quickly dispel the casual stereotypes about UKIP supporters.

‘They are not just grumpy shire Tories as some suggest. In fact, your typical UKIP supporter is a working class male from the Midlands.

‘Perhaps the most striking feature of UKIP’s support is just how male it is. Nearly two out of three UKIP voters are men, and three quarters of UKIP voters did not continue their education beyond secondary school.

‘You don’t win back voters like this by simple positioning on immigration and Europe. The challenge for David Cameron and others is a lot more difficult than that. He has to find some way to show that he is genuinely on their side.’

Today Ofcom announced that Ukip will be given the same status as the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats in England and Wales for election broadcasts and news coverage of the May 22 European elections.

But Ukip's limited support in Scotland means it will not have to be treated as a major party by broadcasters north of the border or in news coverage focusing solely on Scottish constituencies.

While most of the parties divide 50:50 on gender the country overall is split down the middle between men and women, almost two-thirds of Ukip voters are men.

Ukip voters are also likely to be much older, with 59 per cent aged 65 or over, compared to 49 per cent of Tories, 40 per cent of Lib Dems and 28 per cent of Labour voters.

WHAT HAPPENED WAS... JETHRO REVEALED HE HAS JOINED UKIP

Westcountry comedian Jethro has joined UKIP.

The comic, real name Geoff Rowe, said he once stood as an anti EU Independent but had never previously been a member of any political party. The Cornishman - whose catchphrase is 'what happened was' - said: 'I have given the Conservative Party a few chances but though they make noises about Europe they do nothing.

'That is why I am joining UKIP. They have become a formidable force carrying with them the beliefs of many people.'



By contrast, a third of Labour backers are aged 18-34, well ahead of the Tories on 19 per cent and Ukip on just 9 per cent.

George Osborne’s pitch for the Tories to become the party of home ownership appears to be paying off: already 81 per cent of Conservative voters own their own property, well ahead of Ukip and the Lib Dems on 70- 71 per cent.

Among Labour voters almost half (54 per cent) are renting, including 26 per cent in social housing.

Some of the most dramatic differences are found between achievement at school and who people want to run the country.

Ukip are most popular among those that never progress beyond secondary school, accounting for 76 per cent of all support, at least 15 points ahead of the Tories and 30 points more than the Lib Dems.

Nationwide, 26 per cent of people have a university degree but among Lib Dem voters the figure is 31 per cent, and another 15 per cent have a higher degree, much higher than any of the other parties.

On ethnic background, Ukip voters are overwhelmingly white – 98 per cent, compared to 95 per cent for the Tories, 94 per cent Lib Dems and just 86 per cent among Labour.

The Tories have the most rural support, accounting for 27 per cent of voters compared to just 21 per cent of the overall population.

Only 17 per cent of Labour voters live in rural areas, with Lib Dems and Ukip both on 22 per cent.

Fewer than half of Ukip voters are working, compared to 60 per cent of Labour supporters.

More than a third (38 per cent) of Ukip support comes from retired people, double the 18 per cent among Labour voters.

Tory voters are much more likely to be middle-class. Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of Conservatives are ABC1 social class, compared to the national average of 54 per cent, and well above to the 45 per cent of Ukip backers.