Confidence in the Government's Economic Policies 1980-Present

Public Sector

Q On balance, do you agree or disagree with the statement that "in the long term, this government's policies will improve the state of Britain's economy"?

 

Q On balance, do you agree or disagree with the statement that "in the long term, this government's policies will improve the state of Britain's economy"?

* EOI [(Economic Optimism Index)] figures are included for comparison purposes - where marked with an asterisk these were taken from a different poll in the same month

 

 EOI* Agree Disagree Net agree
  ±% % % ±%
Geoffrey Howe
July 1980 -39 48 36 +12
May 1981 -31 40 44 -4
November 1981 -24 41 48 -7
March 1982 -4 47 46 +1
21-25 April 1983 +6* 58 34 +24
17-18 May 1983 +14* 58 35 +23
24-25 May 1983   58 37 +21
1-3 June 1983   58 36 +22
Late June 1983 +2 50 44 +6
Nigel Lawson
March 1985 -22 40 52 -12
March 1986 -8 38 53 -15
March 1987 +16 49 44 +5
12-14 May 1987 n/a 60 35 +25
3-4 June 1987 +23* 58 37 +21
March 1988 +11 54 36 +18
March 1989 -14 46 43 +3
John Major
March 1990 -42 34 55 -21
Norman Lamont
March 1991 -1 34 53 -19
March 1992 +4 42 46 -4
March 1993 -9 28 59 -31
Kenneth Clarke
December 1993 -6 29 58 -29
December 1994 -16 24 64 -40
November 1995 -18 23 64 -41
December 1995 -16 24 63 -39
November 1996 0 34 52 -18
December 1996 -9 31 55 -24
  EOI* Agree Disagree Net agree
  ±% % % ±%
Gordon Brown
June 1997 +19 55 24 +31
July 1997 +10 57 24 +33
November 1997 +6 56 27 +29
February 1998 +2 52 31 +21
March 1998 +4 54 29 +25
November 1998 -31 46 33 +13
February 1999 -15 49 31 +18
March 1999 -6 49 32 +17
November 1999 +4 47 34 +13
February 2000 -10 42 39 +3
March 2000 -5 42 39 +3
November 2000 -6 43 42 +1
March 2001 -29 48 36 +12
March 2002 -21 39 42 -3
May 2002 -22 45 40 +5
September 2002 -23 41 43 -2
November 2002 -27 35 45 -10
December 2002 -40 38 44 -6
March 2003 -39 36 43 -7
April 2003 -18 40 40 0
July 2003 -22 32 53 -21
September 2003 -23 34 51 -17
December 2003 -20* 37 48 -11
March 2004 -18* 38 49 -11
June 2004 -25* 39 48 -9
September 2004 -22* 39 47 -8
November 2004 -23* 40 46 -6
February 2005 -11* 43 43 0
May 2005 -20* 47 38 +9
September 2005 -35* 39 50 -11
November 2005 -27* 41 44 -3
March 2006 -28* 38 48 -10
May 2006 -30* 38 51 -13
September 2006 -31 40 46 -6
November 2006 -33 39 51 -12
March 2007 -39* 37 50 -13
May 2007 -20* 44 41 +3
Alastair Darling
September 2007 -25* 39 46 -7
November 2007 -39* 34 50 -14
September 2008 -58 29 64 -35
June 2009  +11 34 59 -25
November 2009 +23 40 54 -14

 

  EOI* Agree Disagree Net agree
  ±% % % ±%
George Osborne
June 2010 -5 61 29 +32
September 2010 -20 57 36 +21
October 2010 -21 48 39 +9
January 2011 -29 49 43 +6
March 2012  -14 46 47 -1
 March 2015  +21 53 39 +14
 November 2015 -9   48 47  +1 
 March 2016  -17  43 49 -6

 

  EOI* Agree Disagree Net agree
  ±% % % ±%
Phillip Hammond
March 2017 -28 44 50 -6
November 2017 -43 41 54 -13
October 2018 -47 35 56 -21

 

 

  EOI* Agree Disagree Net agree
  ±% % % ±%
Rishi Sunak
November 2021 -26 43 48 -5
March 2022 -62 41 48 -7

 

  EOI* Agree Disagree Net agree
  ±% % % ±%
Rishi Sunak
February 2023 -38 33 59 -26

 

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