‘Focus Family’ set to determine election
1997’s ‘Mondeo Man’ has been over taken by the ‘Focus Family’ as the demographic most likely to swing the election , according to the RAC Foundation.
The Ford Focus has been Britain’s best-selling car for the last six years and is the most popular car in many marginal constituencies, leading the RAC to believe that the party who wins over the Focus Family will win the election.
The Focus crosses a broad spectrum of British society, young and old, male and female, and is taken to represent “Middle England”.
Indeed, the RAC has drawn up ten categories of car owners to help political canvassers understand their constituencies.
The “blue-collar entrepreneurs” drive either a Ford Mondeo Ghia or a Peugeot 406 and are concerned about the price of petrol.
“Comfortable greys” drive a Honda Civic or a Nissan Primera and are concerned about journey reliability and congestion.
Then there are the “rural dwellers”, who typically own a Volvo or a Suburu and are most likely to be concerned about fuel and running costs, as well as speeding on rural roads.
“Status symbols” own a car such as a BMW 5-Series, a Mercedes SLK or a Lexus RX and are worried about speed cameras and company car tax.
The “happy families” are most likely to drive a Renault Scenic or a Vauxhall Zafira and are concerned about road safety and car-sharing schemes.
Those in the “semi-detached” group will drive a Rover 75 or a VW Passat and are concerned about the irresponsible behaviour of other cars, whereas the “close-knit” category will typically drive a second-hand Vauxhall Astra or Toyota Corolla. They are most likely to be concerned about running cost and consumer rights.
Meanwhile, the “metropolitan” group will drive cars like the Audi A3 or the MG F, and are concerned about environmental issues and residential parking.
The “welfare estate” category drive second hand BMWs or old Mercedes models, and are concerned about car crime and vandalism.
Finally, the “council estate” group drive old Fiat Pandas or small Kias, although they tend to prefer public transport. Typically, they are concerned about the cost of motoring and access to public transport.
Commenting, Edmund King, RAC Foundation’s executive director said: “Politicians would be wise to turn their attention to the ‘Focus Family’ rather than ‘Mondeo man’ as they now epitomise middle-Britain. But voters wishing to avoid political canvassers this general election may wish to hide their cars.”
He added: “The parties are all targeting different segments of the population to help swing marginal seats. With 32 million motorists out there, pollsters may well utilise the strong parallels between choice of car and political leanings. If any political party can count on the support of the Focus Family then they will be half way to the winning post.”
