Public Affairs Research: Understanding Members of Parliament
Members of Parliament (MPs) play a significant role in shaping the regulatory and economic environment that businesses operate within. It is therefore crucial for many organisations to understand this audience in order to reach out, build relationships and trust.
This research report gives you the insight needed to make data-driven decisions on how to engage parliamentarians, revealing the priorities and motivations of the influential voices within Westminster.
Why audience understanding is essential to modern corporate affairs
With the freshest Parliament in living memory, the old rules no longer apply. The ideas, ambitions and concerns of MPs are shifting, especially surrounding big businesses in this day and age. When communicating with MPs now, organisations need to navigate:
- Widespread concern about the economy
- Growing suspicions of ‘big business’
- A desire for the government to intervene more
Considering the parliamentary changes, understanding today’s MPs is essential to successfully build relationships, trust and influence.
Corporate affairs teams and their organisations should:
- Leverage local connections, and emphasise local economic impact and community involvement
- Bring solutions not problems, and demonstrate how they can make a positive contribution to MPs’ priorities
- Build relationships, which often requires consistency of presence as well as consistency of behaviour
- Harness the power of insight, strategy, and imagination to maximise the ability to make a lasting impact
Your questions, explored in depth
1. What do MPs want to achieve?
Understanding parliamentary ambition is essential for shaping any effective engagement strategy. Our research explores the priorities and career aspirations of MPs during their term over the next five years.
2. what are mps concerned about?
Every policy conversation unfolds against the backdrop of pressures and risks MPs navigate daily. We examine the top 12 forces shaping these concerns, with insight into perceived solutions.
3. What do MPs think about ‘big business’?
Corporate reputation within Westminster is rarely one-dimensional, influenced by a bigger picture of national narratives and constituency realities. Our findings unveil MPs’ increasing suspicion of ‘big business’ and the changes in opinions over the past few years.
4. What interventions do MPs support?
Identifying which actions resonate with MPs is crucial when seeking impact rather than noise. While not all sectors need to be concerned with government intervention, those that do must know how to best communicate their arguments before any significant changes are made.
5. What influences MPs’ views of big businesses?
Whether MPs possess a positive or negative opinion on big businesses, it’s important to understand the reasoning behind these views and what influences their beliefs. Our research breaks down the important factors that affect their thinking when it comes to large corporations.
6. Who do MPs trust for information?
Credibility is the currency of engagement and knowing which voices MPs rely on can reshape how organisations communicate. From think tanks to mainstream media, we dive into which information sources are trusted and respected.
How our public affairs research was conducted
Yonder regularly speaks with Members of Parliament as well as other senior stakeholder audiences. In the 18 months following the 2024 General Election, we conducted seven surveys of MPs – alongside almost daily depth interviews with politicians of all kinds.
Access our insights to transform your strategy
The full report brings together detailed data, strategic interpretation and real-world insight into how MPs think, prioritise and respond. Designed for corporate affairs leaders, you’ll gain clarity in a landscape where expectations are rising and relationships matter more than ever.
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Strategic guidance in corporate affairs and politics
For more information about Yonder Consulting and our work or to discuss how we can help you, contact us today: hello@yonderconsulting.com
