Brexit continues as Britain’s biggest concern and worry over pollution and the environment remains high
The Ipsos Issues Index for June 2019 shows that Brexit continues to be a big issue for two thirds of Britons, while concern about pollution and the environment remains elevated
- Two thirds of the public mention Brexit as one of the biggest issues facing the country (65%)
- Concern about pollution/environment remains at its recent highest level of 20% and is especially high among the middle classes
The June 2019 Ipsos Issues Index shows Brexit continuing to reign as the public’s biggest concern, with 65 per cent mentioning it as one of the biggest issues for the country and half (53%) seeing it as the single biggest worry.
For a second month, one in five (20%) continue to mention pollution/environment as a major issue for Britain – maintaining the highest level of worry recorded for this topic since June 1990. There is a strong gradient by social grade with a third of those in social grades AB mentioning environment/pollution as a worry compared with seven per cent of those in grades DE. Instead, those in lower social grades are relatively more concerned about crime (25% for DE versus 15% for AB)
Similar proportions of the public consider crime (22%) and education (21%) as big issues for the country.
As in May, concern about pollution and the environment varies strongly between different types of people:
- Almost one third (32%) in social grades AB mention the environment as a concern, making it the third-largest issue for this group. By contrast, concern from those in social grades C2 and DE stands at around one in ten (11% and 7%).
- Regionally, concern is highest among those living in southern England (28%). Worry falls in regions further north, reaching 12 per cent of those living in Scotland.
- There is some variation by age, with younger Britons most likely to be concerned (30% among 18-24 year olds) and those 65 and over least likely 15%).
Technical note
Ipsos's Issues Index is conducted monthly and provides an overview of the key issues concerning the country. Ipsos interviewed a representative quota sample of 980 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. The answers are spontaneous responses, and participants are not prompted with any answers.
Ipsos's Capibus vehicle was used for this survey. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in-home between 7 and 20 June 2019 at 160 sampling points across Great Britain. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.
See more of Ipsos's long-term political and social trends here.
