6 June 2013updated 26 Sep 2015 1:17pm

Lib Dems hate Jon Pertwee, and UKIP wants a straight Doctor most

Data on Doctor Who.

New Statesman contributor Jonn Elledge points out that YouGov has surveyed people’s thoughts on Doctor Who. Which wouldn’t be particularly notable, except for the fact that YouGov always breaks down surveys by demographics, including political affiliation.

So we find out that:

Only 31 per cent of people describe themselves as “interested in Doctor Who”; but that ranges from 26 per cent of UKIP voters to 41 per cent of Liberal Democrats. Interest also varies by age, with people aged between 40 and 59 most likely to be interested, and people aged over 60 least likely. (People under 18 were not interviewed)
When people were asked to pick their favourite Doctor, the top three were David Tennant, Tom Baker and Matt Smith. While the age breakdown was relatively unsurprising for some – with 18-24 year olds liking Matt Smith more than any other age group, and 40-59 year olds liking Tom Baker more than any other age group – David Tennant was the runaway favourite amongst every single demographic breakdown.
Jon Pertwee is the most right-wing Doctor, beloved by 11 per cent of Tories and 13 per cent of UKIP voters, and 0 per cent of Lib Dems.
Ladies love cool Dave. Tennant is the favourite of 55 per cent of women.
When asked what about the next Doctor, a little over half thought it was important that they were British. Whether or not they should be male had a strong party breakdown: 60 per cent of Tories and UKIP voters think it’s important, and just 40 per cent of Labourites and Lib Dems.
UKIP wants a gay Doctor least: 36 per cent of them think it’s important the Doctor be heterosexual, compared to just 9 per cent of Labourites.
But by far the biggest gap comes when respondents are asked whether or not it is important that actor who plays the Doctor, a thousand-year-old time-travelling alien from the planet Gallifrey, be white. Just 5 per cent of Lib Dems thought it was; 50 per cent of members of the libertarian, non-racist party seeking Britain’s withdrawal from the EU do.

The whole survey must be taken with a grain of salt, though. After all, YouGov refer to the character as “Doctor Who”, and we all know that’s a sure sign of someone who can’t be trusted.