The Blair's Future: The Mail on Sunday
Research study conducted for the The Mail on Sunday Newspaper - published 21 November 1999 MORI interviewed a representative sample of 508 adults across Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone on 19 November 1999.
Technical details
- MORI interviewed 508 adults aged 18+
- Interviews were conducted by telephone on 19 November 1999.
- Based on all unless otherwise stated.
- Data are weighted to the profile of Great Britain.
- An '*' indicates a finding of less than 0.5%, but greater than zero.
Q1 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the Government is running the country?
| Satisfied |  46% |
| Dissatisfied | 45% |
| Don't know | 9% |
Q2 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Tony Blair is doing his job as Prime Minister?
| Satisfied |  58% |
| Dissatisfied | 37% |
| Don't know | 5% |
Q3 And do you happen to know the name of ... The wife of the Prime Minister, Tony Blair?
| Cherie |  81% |
| Cherry | 5% |
| Cherie/Cherry | 86% |
| Cheryl | 2% |
| Other | 2% |
| Don't know | 13% |
Q4 The wife of the Conservative Leader, William Hague?
| Ffion |  36% |
| Fiona | 6% |
| Ffion/Fiona | 42% |
| Other | 2% |
| Don't know | 55% |
Q5 As you may know, it was announced yesterday that the Prime Minister's wife, Cherie Blair, is pregnant at the age of 45.
Can you tell me whether, before this interview started, you had heard this news?
| Yes |  91% |
| No | 9% |
Q6 And has this news made you more favourable or less favourable towards ... , or has it made no difference?
| 160 | Tony Blair | Cherie Blair |
| 160 | % | % |
| More favourable | 6 | 7 |
| Less favourable | 4 | 3 |
| Made no difference | 90 | 90 |
Q7 Do you think that Cherie Blair is too old to be having a baby, at the age of 45?
| Is | 21% |
| Is not | 67% |
| Don't know | 12% |
Q8 I am now going to read out a number of things that Tony and Cherie Blair could do, as a result of her pregnancy. For each one, could you tell me whether you think they should or should not ...
Move out of Downing Street to a family home elsewhere
| Should |  23% |
| Should not | 62% |
| Don't know | 15% |
Have the baby in an NHS hospital
| Should | 72% |
| Should not | 13% |
| Don't know | 15% |
Send the child to a state school
| Should | 66% |
| Should not | 14% |
| Don't know | 20% |
Be given a nanny at the taxpayer's expense
| Should | 8% |
| Should not | 88% |
| Don't know | 4% |
Claim child benefit
| Should | 54% |
| Should not | 43% |
| Don't know | 3% |
Q9 As you may know, the law has recently been changed so that parents of children born after 15th December will have a legal right to take up to three months' unpaid parental leave from their jobs during the first five years after their baby is born. Do you think that Tony Blair should ...
| Carry on doing his job as normal |  73% |
| Take unpaid parental leave from his job after the baby is born | 10% |
| Give up his job as Prime Minister altogether | 5% |
| None of these | 12% |
Q10 Do you think Cherie Blair should ...
| Give up work immediately | 11% |
| or work through her pregnancy | 62% |
| Don't know | 27% |
Q11 And after the baby is born, do you think Cherie Blair should
| Give up work to look after the child |  41% |
| or go back to work as soon as she is able to do so | 33% |
| Don't know | 26% |
Q12 Do you think that having a new baby will or will not ...
Make it harder for Tony Blair to do his job
| Will | 26% |
| Will not | 69% |
| Don't know | 5% |
Mean that Tony Blair will stand down as Prime Minister earlier than he would otherwise have done
| Will | 8% |
| Will not | 87% |
| Don't know | 5% |
Make Tony Blair a better Prime Minister
| Will | 16% |
| Will not | 72% |
| Don't know | 12% |
Q13 And would you prefer the baby to be a boy or a girl?
| Boy | 7% |
| Girl | 11% |
| Don't know/No preference | 82% |
Q14 If William Hague and his wife Ffion were to have a baby, do you think that it would make William Hague ... ?
| More appealing | 35% |
| Less appealing | 3% |
| Make no difference | 57% |
| Don't know | 5% |
Q15 As you may know, it was revealed recently that Cherie Blair spends 16320 000 a year on clothes, which she wears when accompanying her husband on official occasions. Do you think that it is right that she should have to spend her own money on the clothes she wears on official occasions, or should the government pay for it?
| Spend own money | 73% |
| Government should pay | 22% |
| Don't know | 5% |
Q16 And do you think the amount she is spending on clothes is too much, not enough or about right?
| Too much |  42% |
| Not enough | 1% |
| About right | 42% |
| Don't know | 15% |
