Ipsos Research Highlights - May 2022
In our latest Ipsos Research Highlights we explore our Issues Index, Chancellor Rishi Sunak's satisfaction ratings and the public's response to the war in Ukraine.
Issues Index April 2022
This month Issues Index finds another significant drop in concern about COVID-19 with just 9% mentioning it as a big issue facing the country this month. Inflation and prices are the biggest issue facing Britain, with thirty-two per cent mention it as a big issue for Britain, the highest level of worry on the topic in three decades. Unsurprisingly, with the continued coverage on the “cost of living crisis”, the economy is the second biggest concern.
Conservatives' lead on the economy falls as Labour seen as best party on tax
Our latest Political Monitor finds public dissatisfaction with Boris Johnson has increased slightly this month but 63% are dissatisfied. The majority (69%) of Conservative voters are satisfied with the job he is doing but overall only 31% think Boris Johnson has what it takes to be a good Prime Minister and 56% disagree. Keir Starmer fairs no better and Rishi Sunak’s ratings on this measure have fallen sharply to -29 now from -1 in January and +7 last June.
Majority of Britons now satisfied with government handling of Russian invasion of Ukraine
Britons are following closely and 58% are satisfied with how the Government is handling the invasion. The government’s scores for handling the Russian invasion of Ukraine are similar to the Blair government’s ratings in the late 90s for handling the crisis in the former Yugoslavia. The Government seem to be getting the balance right for intervention as but there is still concern for refugees caught up in the conflict and 51% think Britain could be providing more humanitarian aid.
Almost half think government doing a bad job running the country but just three in ten think Labour would do a better job
While the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party have seen a boost in their favourability following the local elections, just 27% of Britons think Boris Johnson’s Conservative government is doing well at running the country. However the public are split on whether the Labour government led by Keir Starmer would do better or worse. Overall, the public are twice as likely to think country heading in the wrong direction (56%) rather than the right direction (24%) with nearly half (44%) believing that Brexit is having a negative impact on the UK.
In other news
Join us for our next event, Balancing People, Planet & Prosperity on 19 May. We’ll be joined by a panel of experts to learn how to address some of the most pressing questions we’re hearing from you and how best to navigate them to profitably embrace sustainability.
We’ve looked at public attitudes to racism in sport, finding that 64% consider racism to be a problem in professional football.
Some recent polling found 61% of Britons believe the police should prioritise sexual offences.
Despite the issues facing the country, 60% of Britons would rather be a citizen of Britain than of any country in the world, with the NHS in particular acting as a unifying force across all groups of society.
As ever, please do let us know what you think, and I hope you find something to interest you.
Kelly Beaver
Chief Executive, Ipsos
[email protected]