The Isle of Wight is a Ceremonial and Non-metropolitan county. As it has no district councils (only the County Council), it is effectively a Unitary county, although not officially. It is unique in England in this way all other unitary areas are single districts with no county council, while the Isle of Wight is the other way round. It also has a single Member of Parliament, and is by far the most populous constituency in the united Kingdom (more than 50% above the average of English constituencies).

As a constituency of the House of Commons, it is traditionally a battleground between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. The current MP, Andrew Turner is a Conservative, and his predecessor Dr Peter Brand was a Liberal Democrat.

The Isle of Wight Council election of 2005 was a landslide victory for the Conservative Party, displacing the long serving "Island First" group, a coalition of Liberal Democrats and independents.

There has been a minor regionalist movement, in the form of the Vectis National Party and Isle of Wight Party, but this has generally performed badly in elections.

From the census taken in 2001, the islands population was at 132,731. This shows a change of 5.4% since the last census in 1991 which is a higher increase than the average for the UK at 2.6%. The mean age of people from the island is 43.19. This is higher than the national average of 38.65.

The most popular religion on the island is Christianity, with 73.72%, however this was optional and 7.89% did not wish to state a religion.

Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight and is located in the centre of the Island and is the main shopping area on the Island. Recent developments include a new bus station with retail complex and a new retail park on the outskirts. Located next to the Medina River, Newport was once a busy port until the mid-19th century, but has now been mainly converted into art galeries, apartments and other meeting places.

Ryde, one of the Island's biggest towns with a population of around 30,000, is located in the north east of the Island. It is a Victorian town with a half-mile long pier and four miles of beautiful sandy beaches, attracting many tourists each year. The town which had suffered slightly as Newport was improved, has now recovered and is once again a vibrant and pleasant place to shop, with its own individual character, and boasting a host of independent specialist outlets. Cowes is the location of Cowes week every year and where many people across the UK go to go sailing. It is also the home of Ellen MacArthur.

Sandown is another seaside resort, attracting many tourists each year to its sandy beaches. It is also home to the Sandown Zoo and Dinosaur Isle and an 18 hole golf course. Shanklin just south of Sandown, also attracts tourists by its sandy beaches. Its main attractions are Shanklin Chine and the old village.

Ventnor is on the south coast of the Island and is built on steep slopes leading down to the sea which attract many tourists. Recent developments include Ventnor Haven, a harbour on the coast of Ventnor.