Deloitte / Government Delivery Index

Two in five British adults (38%) think that the Government's policies will improve the state of Britain's economy in the long-term, while 48% disagree. Fewer are optimistic about the public services, with one in three (32%) thinking that the Government's policies will improve public services, while a majority (55%) disagree with this.

Expectations for the NHS are now at their lowest level recorded by the Delivery Index since it started in March 2002, falling from what was previously the lowest ever in November last year. Just over one in five (22%) think that the NHS will get better over the next few years, compared with 44% who think it will get worse. This gives a net optimism score of -22. In May 2005, this figure was +9 and net optimism is down by six points since November.

Three in ten people (30%) believe that the quality of education will improve but a similar level (28%) believe that it will get worse giving a net optimism of +2. This is down from a net optimism rating of +11 recorded in the previous Delivery Index. This growing pessimism about the future of health and education may be evidence that the ongoing reforms of these services continue to have an unsettling impact on the public, as well as perhaps being a reflection of the recent negative headlines about NHS funding.

The trend in attitudes towards the environment remains in a long-term decline. Over two in five (44%) think that the quality of the environment will get worse over the next few years, up from 33% three years ago. However, views on public transport and policing are evenly split and are broadly stable since the previous Delivery Index.

Topline Results

• Ipsos interviewed 977 Great Britain adults 18+.
• Fieldwork conducted by telephone between 10-12 March 2006.
• Data weighted to the national population profile.
• An '*' indicates a finding of less than 0.5%, but greater than zero.
• Where percentages do not add up to exactly 100% this may be due to computer rounding, the exclusion of "don't knows" or to multiple answers.

On balance do you agree or disagree that...

Q1 In the long term, this government's policies will improve the state of Britain's economy?

Q2 In the long term, this government's policies will improve the state of Britain's public services?

Q3-7 Thinking about ... over the next few years do you expect it to ... ?