Hancock's King of the Jungle Hopes Hanging by a Thread
Ipsos MORI have released polling on who the public back to take the crown in the latest series of I'm a Celebrity... and it looks like Matt Hancock is very much on borrowed time. He's ranked 4th out of the 5 remaining campmates, only beating out Seann Walsh.
However, Hancock should not abandon all hope. Firstly, the polling was conducted a week ago. As contestants have left and Matt has had time to shine, he will hope he's been able to win over the hearts and minds of I'm a Celebrity voters. A task made more feasible by the high proportion of non-committed respondents. Of the 1,084 surveyed, 51% responded with either "No Opinion" or "Don't Know". That number is smaller amongst those following the show very or fairly closer, at 9%, and it sits at 20% for those following at all. It's still all to play for.
What's more, many of those who are watching, and who did vote in the poll, will be back in play as their favourites have been eliminated. This leaves another 24% of those following the show. Matt may also be able to sweep up some voters from these camps. His eyes will be on those who had opted Sue Cleaver and Chris Moyles, as they disproportionately drew on Conservative 2019 voters for their support.
It's also worth noting that, as only a chunk of those surveyed are watching the show, the headline numbers will have a larger margin for error than a typical poll of this size.
Perhaps most surprisingly is who Matt draws upon for his own support. Amongst 16-24 year-olds, Matt is second. As 11% of those surveyed opted for the former Health Secretary. This bucks the general polling trend of young voters turning away from the Conservatives. The proportion of 18-24 year-olds backing Matt is higher even than the share of 2019 Conservative voters supporting him, which sits at 10%. Perhaps the Conservative Party could make more of this apparent ability to appeal to younger voters...
One final trend that might give Hancock some hope is that amongst all respondents, rather than just viewers, he jumps over Owen Warner into third place. If more, previously less committed, viewers tune into the show for the final, Matt may well have a stronger claim to the throne.
Even if Matt can't top the polls in the jungle, there is one vote we think he could win.
