UKIP voters favour Brussels sprouts: how does your party shop?

If you are planning to vote for UKIP in the general election, then there's a good chance you're a fan of Brussels sprouts; while if you're a Conservative voter, you're more likely to favour wheatgerm bread, ground coffee and avocados.

The findings come from retail analysts, Kantar, who surveyed 6,000 voters about their shopping habits, and discovered that we are depressingly likely to conform to traditional stereotypes.

They found that along with their fondness for small brassicas, UKIP voters are also partial to English breakfast tea, white bread, Empire apples and English cheese

People who vote Green, meanwhile, are most likely to have a low BMI and be concerned about their health. They are also the most like to buy herbal tea, French cheese and mangoes.

Meanwhile, Conservative voters are likely to spend the most on their food - at around £4,437 compared to £3,950 for a Labour supporter.

Does this matter?
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This doesn't come as a huge surprise. It indicates that Conservative voters are richer and conform to middle class stereotypes, UKIP voters are fans of things that are traditional and English, while Green supporters think carefully about the sustainability of themselves as much as the rest of the planet.

It's not a million miles from the recent revelations from a broker that rich people who trade in shares are more likely to favour the Tories; the survey by an estate agent that revealed homes in Conservative constituencies have gone up more in value than those in Labour constituencies; and the YouGov study that found that teachers are most likely to be Labour supporters.

It tells us that however the parties have converged in the middle ground, and for all the claims that people are changing their voting allegiances, the same stereotypes endure. So for all the people weighing up the merits of the various policies, there are those who are loyal reds, blues, yellows and greens, and intend to remain so for life.

Interesting

What's perhaps more insightful are the comparisons the organisation did to the last time it ran the study - before the 2010 General Election. It discovered a nation that's even more focused on discounts. We now buy 40% of our groceries at a discount, compared to 37% in 2010.

We are also keener on own-brand items, which make up almost 48% of our shopping - compared to 46% in 2010. It goes to show how the financial crisis and the recession have transformed around half of us into a nation of bargain-hunters.

Interestingly we aren't all tightening our belts. For a start, we also buy 3.5 billion calories more in a year - which amounts to 116 calories more per voter every day. We are also spending more in Waitrose.

The organisation identified a widening gulf between the growing number who are willing to spend more on high-end supermarkets, and the rising number who are keen to sniff out a bargain - who are apparently most likely to vote SNP, Liberal or UKIP.

But what do you think? Does this reflect your experiences, or are you a sprout-hating UKIP voter, or a Conservative voter who shops at Aldi? Let us know in the comments.

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