Ipsos Research Highlights - March 2017
This month sees the formal start to the UK leaving the EU. Economic optimism has fallen again. The public is more confident in the current Prime Minister getting a good deal than they were about David Cameron (44% v 32%), but as many as 52% agree with her “no deal is better than a bad deal”. We now face months of uncertainty, not least in Scotland where 50% this month say they would now vote for independence in a new referendum proposed by Nicola Sturgeon. Keeping everyone happy is going to be a tall order for Theresa May but only 7% of her voters are unhappy with her (compared to 52% of Labour voters who are dissatisfied with Jeremy Corbyn).
Currently the main concern about Brexit for consumers is rising prices (69%). When they look at the country as a whole currently the National Health Service (52%) is seen as more worrying. A reminder of how different the UK is from the rest of the world comes in our monthly “What worries the world” survey across the G20; elsewhere unemployment and corruption are the major concerns. In the UK concern about unemployment is at a historic low – with more people concerned about low wages.
Across the EU, our pan-European study for its 60th anniversary finds MOST of its citizens unhappy with its direction (57%) – even after the UK leaves it faces plenty of other challenges, although in the Netherlands, the populist surge ran out of steam this month in national elections, with our Ipsos colleagues undertaking highly accurate polling. As in Ireland, Poland and South Africa recently, Ipsos political polling was very accurate.
With International Women’s Day this month we found 86% of the UK’s 500 largest company board directors saying they are committed to gender equality – but 71% also say they have NO women on their boards at all! Across the world, 40% of women say they don’t have equality in their country and one in five men and women think women are inferior to men, including almost half in India and Russia! So although most women say they have equality of opportunity, there is some way to go – as most organisations will agree.
Finally, never think you can be sure about the future – printed book sales rose last year, and e-book sales fell. The public still like reading the hard stuff, as our study for the Royal Society of Literature shows this month.
There’s much more inside, including gaming, the housing crisis, the future of cities and more. Let us know what you think.
Ben Page
Chief Executive
Ipsos
