South Dorset

Parliamentary Constituency

Date elected

4th Jul 2024

Place

Constituency history

This constituency was introduced at the July 2024 general election, and replaced the previous two new constituencies:

South Dorset

Covered approximately 98% of this new constituency’s population, and 91% of this new constituency’s area.

West Dorset

Covered approximately 6% of this new constituency’s population, and 1% of this new constituency’s area.

Constituency age distribution

This area National average
Ages 0 - 15 15.1% 18.3%
Ages 16 - 24 8.4% 10.5%
Ages 25 - 34 10.2% 13.2%
Ages 35 - 49 16.1% 19.1%
Ages 50 - 64 23.0% 19.8%
Ages 65 and over 27.3% 19.1%

Current Industry

This area National average
Agriculture, energy and water 1.4% 1.1%
Construction 4.0% 4.1%
Distribution, hotels and restaurants 9.9% 9.2%
Financial, real estate, professional and administrative activities 5.4% 7.9%
Manufacturing 2.9% 3.5%
Does not apply 55.9% 53.4%
Other 2.1% 2.1%
Public administration, education and health 16.0% 14.3%
Transport and communication 2.5% 4.4%

Current Occupation

This area National average
Administrative and secretarial occupations 4.0% 4.3%
Associate professional and technical occupations 5.8% 6.1%
Caring, leisure and other service occupations 5.4% 4.4%
Elementary occupations 4.6% 4.8%
Managers, directors and senior officials 5.5% 6.0%
Does not apply 55.9% 53.4%
Process, plant and machine operatives 2.7% 3.2%
Professional occupations 6.5% 9.4%
Sales and customer service occupations 3.4% 3.5%
Skilled trades occupations 6.1% 4.8%

Disabled under the Equality Act

22.0%

17.7% national average

Ethnicity

This area National average
Asian / Asian British 1.1% 8.1%
Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups 1.3% 2.8%
Other ethnic groups 0.4% 1.8%
Other White 3.2% 6.3%
White British 93.7% 77.5%

General Health

This area National average
Bad or very bad health 6.1% 5.3%
Fair health 15.5% 12.8%
Very good or good health 78.4% 81.9%

Have missed a bill payment in the last six months

25.6%

31.5% national average

Have missed a credit payment in the last six months

19.8%

23.6% national average

Have missed a rent payment in the last six months

11.9%

19.0% national average

Have not been able to afford to turn the heating on at home when they have felt cold in the past month

33.3%

37.5% national average

Main Language

This area National average
African languages 0.0% 0.3%
Asian languages 0.4% 3.0%
English or Welsh 95.8% 88.9%
European languages (EU) 1.3% 3.8%
Does not apply 2.3% 3.1%
North or South American languages 0% 0.0%
Oceanic or Australian languages 0.0% 0.0%
Any other languages 0.1% 0.6%
Other European languages (non-EU) 0.0% 0.1%
Any other UK languages 0.0% 0.0%
Sign and supported languages 0.0% 0.0%

Travel to work method

This area National average
Bicycle 1.0% 0.9%
Bus, minibus or coach 1.1% 1.8%
Driving a car or van 23.6% 21.3%
On foot 4.8% 3.5%
Work mainly at or from home 10.3% 14.5%
Underground, metro, light rail, tram 0.0% 0.7%
Motorcycle, scooter or moped 0.4% 0.2%
Not in employment or aged 15 years and under 55.9% 53.4%
Other method of travel to work 0.5% 0.5%
Passenger in a car or van 1.9% 1.8%
Taxi 0.2% 0.3%
Train 0.3% 0.8%

Worried about having to use a foodbank in the next year

23.8%

28.7% national average

Worried about not being able to afford their mortgage or rent in the next year

35.6%

40.0% national average

Country of the UK

England

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)

3

2.8 national average

Coastal constituency

1

Public opinion

Do you think immigration has generally enriched or undermined society?

This area National average
Enriched 34.3% 37.2%
Neither 13.1% 12.5%
Undermined 52.6% 47.3%

Should the welfare system be expanded to help more people, or reduced to make benefits harder to get?

This area National average
Expanded 28.0% 34.1%
Neither 11.3% 11.5%
Reduced 60.6% 51.5%

Would you be comfortable paying more tax, if it meant more money were invested in public services like the NHS and education?

This area National average
Comfortable 45.1% 44.3%
Neither 6.5% 6.0%
Uncomfortable 48.4% 46.8%

Would you be comfortable with government debt going up, provided that money were invested in the economy and local services?

This area National average
Comfortable 53.4% 52.5%
Neither 7.6% 7.6%
Uncomfortable 39.1% 37.0%

Would you support or oppose the building of new housing in your area?

This area National average
Neither 22.5% 21.1%
Oppose 17.2% 17.8%
Support 60.3% 58.2%

Second placed party at most recent election

Conservative Party

Loss of nature and destruction of the environment should be one of the most important concerns for the country

This area National average
Net agree 73.2% 72.6%
Net disagree 8.9% 8.7%
Strongly agree 35.1% 33.8%
Partly agree 38.1% 38.8%
Neither agree nor disagree 17.9% 18.7%
Partly disagree 6% 5.9%
Strongly disagree 2.9% 2.7%

Policies for tackling the cost of living crisis should go hand in hand with policies to tackle the climate crisis

This area National average
Net agree 56.1% 58.9%
Net disagree 20.9% 17.6%
Strongly agree 23% 24.2%
Somewhat agree 33.1% 34.7%
Neither agree nor disagree 23.9% 23.4%
Somewhat disagree 13.0% 10.5%
Strongly disagree 7.9% 7.1%

Tackling climate change should / should not be one of the Government’s biggest priorities right now

This area National average
Should be a priority 56.2% 57.5%
Should not be a priority 43.8% 42.5%

Neither support nor oppose Net Zero

26

26.2 national average

Believe that the government should continue the block on onshore wind development

25.7%

24.3% national average

Believe that the government should use wind and solar farms to reduce energy bills

91%

84.3% national average

Believe the government has increased investment in renewables over the past 5 years

51.9%

52.0% national average

Predicted winning party at next general election

Reform UK

This area National average
Labour 23% 22.5%
Conservative 26% 20.4%
Liberal Democrat 18% 14.7%
Reform 29% 28.2%
Green 4% 8.1%
Other 0% 4.6%

Movement

Churches that have declared a climate emergency

0

0.2 national average

Constituents attending 2025 Act Now Change Forever Mass Lobby

5

7.8 national average

Number of RSPB Reserves

3

  • Grange Heath
  • Lodmoor
  • Radipole Lake

Number of Save the Children shops

0

0.2 national average

Number of Wildlife Trusts Reserves

11

  • Brownsea Island
  • Kilwood
  • King Barrow Quarries
  • Lorton Meadows
  • Lorton Meadows Conservation Centre
  • Stonehill Down
  • Tadnoll & Winfrith Heath
  • The Fine Foundation Wild Chesil Centre
  • The Fine Foundation Wild Seas Centre
  • Tout Quarries
  • Townsend