Election candidates vying to become MPs should undergo compassion training if they win a Westminster seat, according to voters.
Research by Compassion in Politics found two thirds of people want those we elect to go on courses so they can work more effectively with colleagues and the public.
Some 63% of the 2,003 people quizzed by polling firm Opinium backed the plan, with just 10% against.
Four in five people want political parties to spend much more time working together to find common ground rather than attacking opponents.
And only 22% think politics is a career people go into to make the world a better place.
The polling comes Compassion in Politics launched a #StopTheNastiness drive asking election candidates to pledge to campaign with respect, promote compassion and call out hate.
Co-director Jennifer Nadel said: “The current political culture of divisiveness and hate leads to appalling outcomes.
“It is putting the lives of MPs and activists in danger, alienating vast swathes of the public from entering or engaging with politics, and it means decisions are being made in an environment ill-disposed to constructive debate and dialogue.
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“Compassion in Politics is working to change that – to put compassion, cooperation and inclusion at the heart of politics.”
Paul Gilbert, professor of clinical psychology at Derby University, said: “Our brains and bodies are changed by what we think – if you imagine going on your favourite holiday, or worry about a confrontation at work, you will find yourself stimulating very different emotions.
“That is why we need to find ways to think and then act in ways that are kind and helpful, not harmful.
(Image: PA)
“If we want to have the minds and brains that are going to solve the complex problems of the world then we need ones that are compassionate.”
He added: “Compassion is not just a nice to have, it is fundamental to how we organise our minds, our relationships, our communities – for us and the generations who follow us.
“The majority of the world’s population are desperate for compassion to be at the centre of our politics.”
