Will it be The Sun wot won it again?

Does Fleet Street influence the election? A look at the charts below illustrates the fact that newspaper support does correlate closely with the subsequent result.



The significance of The Sun is illustrated in the table below which reveals that the paper's readers are the only one's to back the winner in the last four elections (something both Blair and Campbell were fully aware of).

I expect we'll see Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph reader support for the Tories return to 1992 levels this time again - whilst I wouldn't be surprised to see the majority of Daily Star readers defecting in their droves to the Tories for the first time.


Whether the press is leading or merely following the tide of public opinion is a matter of debate, but the decision by The Sun to switch their support to the Conservatives would mean a Labour victory would have to dramatically buck a 65-year trend.



Data courtesy of the Guardian Data Store

Is Cable an asset or liability?

A look at the share of search term volumes across the last 12 months between the three party leaders and their (shadow) chancellors highlights how closely Nick Clegg must share the public limelight with Vince Cable...


Focusing on the trend in search volume patterns across the same period reveals that Clegg has enjoyed a recent surge in interest amongst the British public (even overtaking Gordon Brown) - suggesting he has benefitted from Cable's recent performance on Channel 4's The Chancellor's Debate.

Of course voters are already very familiar with both Brown and David Cameron so naturally search volumes may fall for both over time. Indeed, searches for the latter may actually represent an increased interest in his privileged background - suggesting the 'Class War' may still be a pertinent election issue.

In addition, the fact that 'David Cameron poster' is the fastest rising search confirms that increased traffic isn't always a positive thing - with users directed to the infamous spoof site mydavidcameron.com.

However, the increased interest in the Liberal Democrat leader does suggest voters are still open to what the party has to offer ahead of the televised debates.