Boom and bust in the internet industry and constant fears about security have done little to prevent the rise of people buying financial products on line according to a new MORI Financial Services poll commissioned by Screentrade, the UK's first on-line insurance supermarket. 2 million people are now purchasing or arranging their finances on line, an increase of 11% from just six months ago.
Reports of children surfing the Net like zombies, exposed to pornography, gore and virtual violence are disputed by a Reader's Digest survey which reveals that most parents trust their children to surf the Net safely and believe that it has a positive effect on their children's education.
Across the country as I write, schoolchildren are receiving the examination results that assess their performance over the last couple of years in each of the subjects. (Well, except in Scotland, but that is a different story.) It seems an appropriate point at which to draw up a similar report card for the government. In which policy areas does the public feel it has passed, and in which has it failed? Or rather, since "value added" seems to be the preferred benchmark these days, in which policy areas has it improved its standing since it was elected, and in which has it lost out? And, for those issues where the Opposition has scored hits, has the result merely been to damage Labour credibility or also to convince the electorate that the Conservatives (or, indeed, Liberal Democrats) might do a better job?
With just a few weeks to go to the new X registration, research by MORI Financial Services commissioned by Direct Line Financial Services has highlighted a surprising north/south divide on choosing cars. In contrast to the traditional stereotypes, this survey has found that Northerners appear to prefer new cars whereas Southerners tend to favour 'wheeling and dealing' in the second hand market place.
Pulse Check
Pulse Check delivers key insights from Ipsos' Political Monitor, Political Pulse, and Public Services data, along with reactive polling, to help you navigate the evolving political landscape.
For much of the time, far more attention is paid to attracting the support of young voters, especially first-time voters, than is paid to attracting the votes of those who have retired. There is a superficial attraction to this: after all, young voters are generally less strongly attached to their party allegiances - if, indeed, they have any at all - and ought to be easier to swing. If their loyalties can be captured at a young age, perhaps they will subsequently offer their party a lifetime of voting service.
Professor Robert Mackenzie was once quoted as saying that he enjoyed election nights in the same way other people enjoyed the Cup Final. New research for the June-July 2000 edition of British Public Opinion newsletter suggests that there is more to this remark than meets the eye.
