Reading the Room: Elite and Public Perceptions of Each Other’s Preferences in Divided Times

Applying for the 'elite-voter nexus' panel: Much has been said about the growing breach that exists between political elites and mass audiences. Key actors have come out (and indeed pursued political office) underplaying the importance area expertise should play in the policy process. In this study, we use data from the first-ever UK Security Survey, which captures security preferences of UK security elites and members of the UK public. In addition to examining areas of commonalities (and disagreement) between both groups, we ask members or each group to estimate what they expect to be the preferences of the other group in key areas of importance for post-Brexit Britain. These areas include: what the UK's role in the world should be, strategic use of the UK's so-called 'security surplus' in divorce negotiations with the EU, attitudes towards defence spending in general and nuclear capabilities in particular, as well as views regarding what the UK's national orientation should be as it leaves the EU (maintaining security alliances with Europe versus favouring the 'special relationship' with the United States). We pay particular attention to how accurately elites and masses perceive the preferences of the other.