Ipsos North Issues Index: 2018 in review
- The biggest issue facing Britain in 2018 was Brexit according to Northerners, mentioned by (49%) – up 9 points since 2017 though lower than the British average (53%).
- Concern about the NHS remains high for Northerners (47%) and is still the most concerning issue for those in the North west (52%).
- Crime is now the joint-third concern with immigration (22%) – both higher than the British average (19%).
Aggregated data from across 12 waves of the Ipsos Issues Index in 2018 shows that half (49%) of Northerners are worried about Brexit, making it the biggest issue facing the country in 2018 according to Northerners – slightly lower than the overall British level of concern of 53%. Despite this Northerners are more worried about Brexit than they were in 2017 (up from 40%) now surpassing the NHS (the second most concerning issue for the North).
Northerners however were not less worried about the NHS in 2018 than the previous year. Just under half (47%) say they were concerned about the NHS in 2018 compared with 46% in 2017.
Crime and immigration are joint third on the list of most worrying issues facing the country for those in the North (both 22%). Concern over crime has risen significantly from 12% mentioning it in 2017 and now stands 3 points above the British average. While Northerners are also more worried about immigration than Britain overall (19%) this is down from 29% in 2017.
Housing is less of a worry in the North than it is elsewhere in the country. Just 14% of Northerners say they’re concerned about housing compared to 18% in Britain overall and significantly lower than in the South of England where 28% in London, a quarter (25%) in the South east, and 21% in the South west all mention it as a worry.
Other regional findings in the North in the survey include:
- In the North west, the NHS is still the top concern with more than half (52%) mentioning it. This is four points higher than Brexit at 48%. The North west is the only region in Britain where the NHS was the top concern (although it was joint first in the East midlands with Brexit). The South east was the only region in Britain where concern over the NHS was higher than the North west with 53%.
- Those in the North east and Yorkshire & Humber are less worried about the NHS than those in the North west (39% and 44% respectively) – although the NHS is still their second most cited issue of concern.
- The North east is the region most concerned with immigration in all of Britain with a quarter (26%) mentioning it. This compares with 22% in the North west, 20% in Yorkshire & Humber and 19% in Britain overall.
- One in five (21%) in the North west mention poverty or inequality as a concerning issue facing the country compared with 16% in Yorkshire & Humber and 11% in the North east. The North west is also the region where poverty was mentioned most often in all of Britain.
Nicola Moss, Managing Director of Ipsos North, said:
Whilst Brexit remains the issue of highest concern, the fact that immigration is a dominant issue in the North East and the NHS is the key issue in the North West reflects the individuality of the regions and reminds us that the ‘North of England’ should not be treated as one homogenous part of the country.
Technical note
Ipsos's Issues Index is conducted monthly and provides an overview of the key issues concerning the country. For 2018, aggregate data from the twelve waves of the study carried out in 2018 were combined: across this period Ipsos interviewed 12,053 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain (3,021 across the North west, North east and Yorkshire & Humber). The answers given are spontaneous responses, and participants are not prompted with any answers.
Ipsos's Capibus vehicle was used for this survey. Interviews were conducted face-to-face and in-home across twelve monthly surveys carried out in Great Britain. Data are weighted by month to match the profile of the population.
