British people have increasingly less faith in politicians’ communication skills, a new report shows.

Language and behavioural science consultancy Schwa has carried out a survey among a panel of British consumers last week, to expose the nation’s faith in politicians’ communication skills. The research identified plummeting support for politicians, with only 6% of Brits regarding their communication as honest.

“Sounding like a human is often much more influential than the policy itself,” Schwa’s official release states.

According to the report, strong, clear messages and empathy are essential to gain the public’s favour. People tend to consider the politicians’ language as negative, with the presence of ‘evasive’ rhetorics and ‘arrogant’ statements towering over positive messages or policies.

The research showed that the way politicians present themselves influences the citizens’ opinion on them. 45% of Brits would not vote for a politician demonstrating poor presentation skills, even if they agree with their views.

“That’s a pretty neat encapsulation of Jeremy Corbyn’s problem,” Schwa founder Neil Taylor asserts. “Lots of his policies actually test quite well, but he puts people off. And it shows that good communication can be ‘make or break.’”

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