Ipsos Research Highlights - February 2016
In this issue we look at our polling on the EU referendum that will dominate British politics this year – 87% of the FTSE 500 firmly want Britain to stay in the EU, and so do the public, although they are much more equivocal, and the number who want to leave is rising.
Much will hinge on the trustworthiness and credibility of the different sides: our latest Veracity Index suggests both sides would be wise to get hairdressers to speak up for them: 69% of us trust them to tell the truth, versus 19% for politicians. The latter figure hasn’t changed much for decades, but civil servants are now trusted by half the population – double the figure of 1983. About half of you trust me – pollsters’ ratings are unchanged at 53% since 2014.
In politics, the Conservatives remain firmly ahead of Labour, and have just recorded the largest lead in terms of the perceived calibre of their leaders, compared to Labour, since 1989 when Mrs Thatcher was Prime Minister.
Elsewhere we look at the global addiction to smartphones (200 or more views a day is common, with 40% of Chinese youth feeling ‘uneasy’ if they don’t look every 20 minutes), and we consider which generation British women think ‘have it all’.
There’s also information on the economy, housing, GP services (still holding up, despite pressures) and lots more.
We hope you enjoy it – tell us what you think!
Ben Page Chief Executive, Ipsos
