A majority of voters in Makerfield say they would be less likely to vote for an election candidate if they have posted offensive content on social media, polling shows.

The polling for the campaign group 38 Degrees, undertaken by Survation, asked 518 voters in the Makerfield constituency for their views on a range of issues, with 55% saying they would be less likely to vote for a politician who has posted offensive material online.

By contrast, 31% said whether or not a politician had posted offensive content would not influence their vote, and 14% said they did not know.

Robert Kenyon, the Reform UK candidate in the byelection on 18 June, has been criticised for past online posts, with the broadcaster Caroline Vorderman calling for him to apologise over “disgusting comments” he made about her.

Kenyon’s other previous online comments have included him saying: “I’m sexist, sorry but I am,” referring to gay people as “poofs” and suggesting women had abortions so they could “shag anyone they want”.

The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, is fighting to retain the seat for Labour after the sitting MP Josh Simons stepped aside for him.

The polling also found that nearly three-quarters of residents surveyed wanted water companies to be returned to public ownership, compared with just 13% who said they should remain in private hands.

Additionally, 54% supported introducing a new “wealth tax” on assets over £10m to fund the NHS, schools and other public services, while 28% were opposed to new taxes on wealth.

Just over half of those surveyed said there should be a cap on the maximum amount a person could donate to a political party or individual politician, while 38% said individuals should be free to donate as much as they chose.

Damian Lyons Lowe, Survation’s chief executive, said: “Voters in Makerfield hold strong views on economic fairness and accountability, and those views cut across traditional party lines. The breadth of support for water renationalisation, a wealth tax and donation caps indicates that these are not fringe positions but mainstream concerns.”

The Makerfield voters were also asked for their views on various measures in the Labour government’s Employment Rights Act, which was recently passed by parliament. The most popular measure among voters was setting the minimum wage at a level that covers the cost of living. Of those surveyed, 72% said they would want to keep the provision in place, compared with 12% who wanted it axed.

The increased cost of living has been repeatedly raised by residents of the Greater Manchester constituency during the campaign.

There was also strong support for giving families the right to paid bereavement leave after pregnancy loss before 24 weeks. Two-thirds said they would want to retain this, only 11% wanted to end it and 22% said they did not know.

A majority (57%) said they would keep the guarantee that all workers get sick pay from the first day they are off ill, compared with 26% who wanted to get rid of it.

However, opinion was more divided on banning “fire-and-rehire” – the practice where employers sack workers and then rehire them on lower pay or worse conditions – with 47% saying they would keep the ban in place and 42% saying they would remove it.

Veronica Hawking, the campaigns director at 38 Degrees, said: “Makerfield is a microcosm for how many voters across the country are feeling right now. They are crying out for change and back big, bold moves to make our country fairer, build better public services and ease the cost of living for us all.

“Returning water companies to public ownership, introducing a wealth tax to fund public services and capping political donations are all policies a majority of voters here support. With all eyes on this byelection, politicians of all parties, and in both Makerfield and beyond, should take note and be ready to fight fearlessly for change like this.”