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Research

Rigorous research for a stronger movement

We believe good research makes everyone in the movement stronger. That’s why we run large-scale experiments, partner with academics, and work closely with campaigners to understand what really moves the dial.

In 2024, we ran the largest political Randomised Control Trial in UK history, tested hyperlocal messaging at scale, and used AI to analyse how people talk about politics online – producing insights that helped shape campaign strategy across the ecosystem.

Our research is designed to be practical and shareable. Whether it’s testing new tactics or exploring how new tech can be used ethically, our goal is simple: generate evidence that helps campaigners win – and share what we learn, so no one has to start from scratch.

whiteboard research

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Problem Addressed Party activists don’t just vote themselves; they live alongside and talk to the people around them. If activists can be motivated before polling day, the effect might spread to their households and neighbourhoods. Campaigns rarely get the chance to test whether this kind of knock-on effect happens in practice. Approach & Implementation Campaign […]

  • Who's this helpful for: Campaigners, Researchers

Problem Addressed Endorsements are a staple of local campaigning, particularly when voters know little about the people on the ballot. Yet endorsements come in many forms: they can come from ordinary residents or well-known local figures, be signed or anonymous, and talk about a candidate’s character or their track record. Campaigners rarely know which of […]

  • Who's this helpful for: Campaigners, Members of parliament

Problem Addressed AI persuasion has become an increasingly important area of research in political campaigning. A growing body of academic work suggests that large language models and conversational AI may be capable of influencing opinions, increasing engagement, and changing behaviour under certain conditions. At the same time, modern elections are characterised by high levels of […]

  • Who's this helpful for: Campaigners, Researchers

Motivation and Methods Immigration consistently ranks as one of the issues of greatest concern among UK voters1. As Reform has gained momentum based on its messaging around this issue, being able to understand and respond to public opinion on this is an increasing priority. This article summarises findings from a larger report produced by Campaign […]

  • Who's this helpful for: Campaigners, Journalists, Researchers

It is well established that older people tend to vote conservative, and this holds strongly in the UK: from 2017, age has replaced class as the primary voting indicator, and the gap between the voting preferences of older and younger people continues to grow. In this Academic Series event, Dr Laura Serra joined us to […]

  • Who's this helpful for: Campaigners

Executive Summary This report details the findings of a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) conducted during the Leamington Clarendon local by-election. The study sought to test whether presenting Labour-likely voters with specific, ward-level local issues (such as pothole repairs and planning permissions) would increase voter turnout. Despite a small-scale yet well-executed deployment, the intervention yielded no […]

  • Who's this helpful for: Campaigners

Last month, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. James Ackland, a postdoc from the University of Glasgow’s Geospatial Data Science Group, who shared fascinating insights into how where we live influences how we vote. If you’ve ever wondered why polling can be spot-on in some areas but wildly off in others, this session offered […]

  • Who's this helpful for: Campaigners

At the final Campaign Lab Academic Series of 2025, we heard from Dr Katrina Lawall from the University of Reading. We often hear talk about helping support women entering office, but there is a problem that gets far less attention than recruitment: retention. Even where parties and civil society have made progress encouraging women to […]

  • Who's this helpful for: Members of parliament, Researchers
This test examined how different peer-to-peer (P2P) SMS message framings affect member engagement during a time-sensitive Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) effort for an internal organisational vote. The core challenge was to identify whether more informational or narrative-driven messages could outperform a simple reminder in prompting members to respond and confirm participation before the voting deadline.
  • Who's this helpful for: Campaigners
This pilot study explored whether living next to visible campaign materials, specifically garden stakes, affect voter turnout during elections. The underlying hypothesis was that visible signs of community political support might influence civic behaviour by fostering social norms around participation, signalling local engagement, or encouraging individuals to vote when they see that others nearby are politically active.
  • Who's this helpful for: Campaigners