LONDON - Four in 10 people who say they voted for the Liberal Democrats would not have done so if they had known the party would enter in to a coalition with the Conservatives, according to a survey Monday.

The LibDems joined forces with the Conservatives after an inconclusive general election in May, becoming the junior partner in Britain`s first coalition government since World War Two.

The ComRes poll for the BBC`s Newsnight found 58 percent of LibDem voters would still have voted the same way had they know their party would enter in to coalition with the Conservatives.

In contrast, 86 percent of Conservative voters said they would have voted the same way had they known their party would join with the LibDems.

Since taking office, the coalition government has announced plans to slash public spending as it tackles a budget deficit running at around 11 percent of national output.

Some LibDems are concerned that the party risks getting a raw deal out of the coalition, sharing the blame for painful measures but unlikely to get much credit ultimately if the tough action proves successful. Opinion polls since the election have shown a slide in LibDem ratings.

The survey found 37 percent of LibDem voters felt the party had been dishonest about the scale of cuts they were planning.

The poll, carried out between July 23 and 25, also found 60 percent of the 1,009 people questioned thought the LibDems had weakened its identity as a party since joining the coalition and they no longer knew what it stood for.

Just 34 percent believed the party\`s identity had been strengthened.

BDST: 12:56 HRS, July 27, 2010