British public more likely to support than oppose teachers going on strike
Parents have become somewhat less supportive pf strike action since February 2023 according to a new Ipsos survey.
- 46% support teachers going on strike, 34% oppose
- 52% of parents support strikes – down from 60% in February
A study of 2,000 members of the British public has found that just under half support strike action by teachers (46%), placing them behind in support compared to healthcare professionals (nurses, 60%; ambulance workers, 60%; junior doctors, 52%). Support for teachers’ strikes is largely unchanged since February 2023, the last time widespread teachers’ strikes occurred (48% supported and 29% opposed). However, parents have become somewhat less supportive in that time (52% support today and 29% oppose versus 60% and 21% in February).
A leading concern amongst parents is their child(ren) receiving poor quality education because not enough money is spent on schools and teachers (71%), an increase of 11ppts since February 2023. Even larger changes were seen with concerns around exams/assessment and schoolwork as the end of the school year nears, with 2 in 3 (65%) saying they’re worried about exams or assessments not reflecting their child(ren)’s capabilities because of strikes, (+25ppts since Feb’23) and a similar share (62%) worried about their child(ren) catching up on schoolwork missed due to strikes.
Despite these concerns, 1 in 2 (51%) Britons feel workers have too little power in Britain today, an increase of 13ppts compared to January 2023, when this question was last asked (but 10pts less than the 61% last June). By contrast, there has been a 10ppt increase in the share of Britons who now say employers hold too much power in Britain today since January 2023 (42% vs 32%), returning to September levels (41%). Perceptions of the amount of power held by trade unions is largely unchanged, with 34% saying they hold too much power, 29% saying they hold the right amount, and 25% saying they hold too little – with the latter having increased by 6ppts compared to January 2023.
Keiran Pedley, Research Director at Ipsos, UK, said of the findings:
The public continue to show a good deal of sympathy with teachers going on strike, with more supporting than opposed. Looking deeper however there are some signs that support amongst parents is softening as concerns about the impact disruption might have on their child’s education grows. That being said, it should be stressed that parents are still more likely to support than oppose teachers going on strike by a 13-point margin and they are more concerned about the impact a perceived lack of funding may have on their child’s education than the impact of strikes (though they are concerned by both).
Technical note
Ipsos interviewed a representative quota sample of 2,000 adults aged 18-75 in Great Britain. Interviews took place on the online Omnibus 20th-21st April 2023. Data has been weighted to the known offline population proportions. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.
