With the ultimate aim of improving the shock resistance of the surface-stabilised ferroelectric liquid crystal display, a series of polymer liquid crystal (PLC) / low molar mass ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) mixtures was made. This thesis is concerned with the effects different polymers have on the ferroelectric properties of various host FLCs. Much of the thesis is concerned with the design, set-up and operation of a number of characterisation experiments used to determine the phase transition temperatures, tilt angle, spontaneous polarisation and response times of the PLC/FLC mixtures. Included are details of the computer system used to run the experiments and flow diagrams illustrating the computer algorithms used to operate each experiment. In most cases the characterisation results are compared with established theoretical models, allowing a systematic comparison of the mixtures to be made and trends in the data to be established. In general, the ferroelectric properties of the mixtures show convincing dependencies on polymer concentration, although the degree to which the properties are altered varies widely from polymer to polymer. From a device point of view, it is important to ensure the ferroelectric properties of the host remain favourable following the addition of the polymer. In light of this, each mixture is considered in terms of possible device applications. On a more fundamental level, an attempt to understand the role of the polymer in influencing the ferroelectric parameters is made. Based on the characterisation results and current models of smectic polymers, a suggested conformation of the PLC within the FLC host is given. In the last part of the thesis, the electroclinic behaviour of the FLC host is studied as a function of PLC concentration. It is shown that with small concentrations of PLC, the temperature range of the electroclinic effect is significantly increased. While the work presented here is of a preliminary nature, the results are promising. One of the current problems with electroclinic devices is the limited temperature range over which they must be operated.