Ipsos Research Highlights - February 2021
In this week's Ipsos Research Highlights we share the latest interim findings from the REACT study, public perceptions of the Government’s handling of the pandemic and what Britons would do with excess vaccines.
Interim Findings from REACT Study - February 2021
Our ninth report from the REACT study with Imperial College London finds that infections fell by more than two-thirds from the last report, with 1 in 196 people infected. The national R rate was 0.72 between 4th and 13th February. Even though hospital admissions remain high, it is positive to see that prevalence fell substantially across all age groups.
Strong approval for government's vaccine programme as Johnson preferred to lead pandemic response
Nine in 10 Britons think the Government is doing well at obtaining vaccines for Britain. While the vaccine program has boosted Matt Hancock's ratings, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is still seen as the most popular politician. However despite the positive feeling towards the vaccine programme 46% of Britons think Boris Johnson is handling the pandemic badly and 51% are dissatisfied with the way the Government is running the country. Voting intention remains close with the Conservative Party on 42% and Labour Party on 38% but only a third believe Labour is ready to form the next government.
Over half of Britons support giving excess vaccine doses to other countries
Looking closer at the vaccine programme, 54% of Britons think the UK should pass on excess COVID-19 vaccine doses once we've met our immediate need. Sixty-eight per cent of Britons would only be happy to give away extra doses after everyone in the UK has been fully vaccinated and 51% say we need to prioritise the vulnerable and over-50s before we give the vaccine away. While almost 2 in 3 would support giving poorer countries the vaccine for free regardless of where they are in the world.
The Ipsos politics and society podcast
On this week's podcast, Keiran Pedley is joined by Stephen Bush, Political Editor of the New Statesman and Paula Surridge, Deputy Director of The UK in a Changing Europe and Political Sociologist at the University of Bristol. In this episode, the team review the latest data from the Ipsos Political Monitor.
In other news
Britons think footballer Marcus Rashford and the polarising Piers Morgan are doing a better job than the Labour party and Conservative MPs at holding the Government accountable when it comes to the pandemic.
Our latest GPPS survey finds that even before the pandemic 10% of Britons made a remote appointment with their GP practice and these type of appointments were already a feature of pre-pandemic life. The results suggest that patients’ experiences were largely positive and 83% felt they were given enough time during appointments.
In the US, following the trial of former president Donald Trump most Americans believe he should have been convicted in the second impeachment trial. Meanwhile support for President Joe Biden remains strong.
As ever, please do let us know what you think, and I hope you find something to interest you.
Ben Page
Chief Executive, Ipsos
[email protected]