Talking to Voters about the ‘Everyday Economy’

Abstract

AbstractThe everyday economy approach has influenced key members of Labour's economic team, notably Rachel Reeves. One potential benefit of the everyday economy approach is that it advocates changing how voters perceive the economy by making it connect to social and environmental goals. Voters, many of whom feel alienated from the material economy measured by indicators like gross domestic product (GDP) that politicians tend to refer to, might find everyday economic language more appealing. However, analysis of qualitative research on how voters see the economy suggests Labour should be cautious about attempting to replace terms like ‘economy’ and ‘growth’ with everyday economy terms like ‘liveability’. Instead, the party should fight the Conservatives on economic competence using conventional economic terms.