Government Delivery Index

According to the latest Ipsos Government Delivery Index, two in five British adults (40%) think that the Government's policies will improve the state of Britain's economy in the long-term, although slightly more (46%) disagree, giving a net optimism score of -6. This is slightly higher than the net score of -13 in May 2006.

While the public is divided about the future state of the economy, those who think the Government's policies will be good for public services generally are outnumbered by around two to one by those who think that public services will get worse (31% versus 59%) -- a net score of -28. Net optimism towards public services has declined by ten points since last November.

Expectations for the NHS, already at the lowest level ever recorded by the Delivery Index since it started in March 2002, have fallen further in recent months. For the first time, half (50%) of the British public think that the NHS will get worse over the next few years, compared with fewer than one in five (18%) who think it will get better, giving a net score of -32. At the time of the 2005 General Election this score was +9.

Optimism towards public transport and policing have also experienced a decline since May, with net optimism for public transport falling by eight points to -6 and net optimism for policing by five points to -5. More now think that each will get worse in the next few years than think it will get better.

More encouragingly for the Government, education appears to have re-established itself as the Government's 'success story'. Around one in three (34%) believe that education will improve, while around one in four (24%) believe that it will get worse. This means that the public's expectations of education services return to similar levels recorded at time of the last General Election.

Three in ten (30%) think that the quality of the environment will get better over the next few years, while four in ten (40%) believe it will get worse, giving a net score of -10, up from -18 in May.

Topline Results

• Ipsos interviewed 957 Great Britain adults 18+.
• Fieldwork conducted by telephone between 8-10 September 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 ... ?