Manx residents express distrust in politics but still plan to vote, new survey finds 

Healthcare and housing dominate concerns, while most residents still rate life on the Isle of Man better than in the UK 

A new survey of public attitudes across the Crown Dependencies has highlighted a striking picture of political distrust – but also reveals most are still planning, and willing to vote.

The Big Questions 2025 Residents’ Survey, conducted by Island Global Research, captured the views of 954 Isle of Man residents and offers a window into political values, social priorities and perceptions of quality of life.

Political disconnect, but determination to vote

Despite high levels of engagement with local and global affairs – with 90 percent of Manx respondents saying they follow news and politics closely – there is widespread dissatisfaction with political representation.

Only nine percent of Isle of Man residents feel the people elected to make decisions represent their values “quite well” or “very well”, while a substantial 86 percent say they have “no” or “not very much” influence on decisions made on the Island.

Seventy-eight percent believe the Isle of Man is heading in the wrong direction.

Yet, paradoxically, more than four in five respondents say they are likely to vote in the next general election – with 59 percent stating they “definitely will”.

Healthcare and housing

When asked to identify the most important issue facing the Isle of Man today, 42 percent of residents chose healthcare and hospitals – the highest of any topic surveyed. This aligns with priority rankings for improvement, where 66 percent selected hospital waiting lists as one of their top five concerns.

Other pressing issues include:

• Island infrastructure (49 percent),
• Affordable housing (47 percent),
• Cost of living (46 percent),
• Social care (35 percent).

A notable 33 percent also highlighted a lack of faith in politics, politicians and government as an important issue, making it a key thematic undercurrent throughout the findings.

Values and economic attitudes

The survey also delved into participants' social and political values. While opinions were mixed, a majority leaned toward centre-left principles:

60 percent believe government should take more responsibility to ensure provision for all,

54 percent support higher public spending even if it means higher taxes,

Views on income distribution were more divided, with 47 percent favouring greater equality and 35 percent supporting incentives for individual effort.

These preferences remained relatively consistent across Jersey and Guernsey survey findings, but shifted slightly with age and political alignment.

Quality of life

In spite of the concerns around governance and public services, most Isle of Man respondents gave positive ratings for their personal quality of life. More than seven in ten rated it as six or higher out of ten, and two-thirds believe life on the Island is better than in the United Kingdom.

Older residents and those identifying with right-leaning political views were particularly likely to view Island life positively.

Survey caveats and context

The survey was conducted online between 14 and 31 March 2025, with respondents sourced from IGR’s Research Panel and social media outreach.

While statistical weighting was applied to balance age and gender demographics, organisers acknowledge a self-selection bias, with politically engaged individuals more likely to take part.