Brexit is seen as the biggest issue facing Britain
The September Ipsos/Economist Issues Index shows wide concern about Brexit, and a fall in worry about the NHS.
Forty-six percent see Brexit as one of the biggest issues facing Britain, and almost one third (31%) see it as the single biggest issue
Concern about the NHS falls eight percentage points, but is still seen as a big issue by four in ten
Worry about the economy stands at 18%, the lowest score for almost a decade
The September Ipsos/Economist Issues Index shows wide concern about Brexit, with a little under one half (46%) considering it one of the biggest issues facing Britain – and 31% seeing it as the single biggest issue facing the country. The NHS remains a significant issue facing Britain, despite an eight percentage point fall in worry since last month (from 48% to 40%).
Immigration (26%), education (20%) and the economy (18%) remain in the same positions as last month. Defence and housing are joint-sixth, with 16% seeing each as a big issue (fieldwork was completed prior to the attempted train bombing at Parsons Green in London).
A decade on from the collapse of Northern Rock, 18% of the public list the economy as a concern. This is the lowest level of worry since February 2008, in the earliest days of the economic crisis.
Supporters of the two leading political parties lend different emphasis to the importance of issues facing Britain:
- For Conservative party supporters, Brexit is the clear priority, with 55% seeing it as a big issue. The NHS and immigration are seen as the next-most important issues (on 37% and 40% respectively), followed by the economy (18%) and the ageing population and social care (17%).
- Among Labour supporters, the NHS and Brexit are viewed as more equally important, on 45% and 41%. Education is their third-biggest issue (25%), followed by poverty/inequality (21%) and immigration (17%).
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 999 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. The questions are spontaneous - i.e. respondents are not prompted with any answers.
Ipsos's Capibus vehicle was used for this survey. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in-home between 1 and 13 September 2017 at 193 sampling points across Great Britain. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.
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