Just one in three Britons can correctly identify the location of the Chagos Islands

33% of Britons can correctly identify the location of the Chagos Islands when given a series of options on a map – 45% say they don’t know where they are.

New polling from Ipsos UK reveals that the British public is divided on the UK’s role in the world, with a significant proportion questioning the country’s global influence and impact, especially in the future. The public is also split on the UK government’s decision to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands; however, awareness of the story is low.

Britain’s role in the world

  • Slightly less than half (47%) of Britons believe that Britain is a force for good in the world, a decrease of 7 ppts since June 2024, though broadly in line with the trend since 2020. 
  • A similar proportion (46%) of Britons believe that Britain should try to “punch above its weight” in world affairs, even if it is not as powerful economically or militarily as some other countries (+3 ppts). 
  • However, two in five (40%) think that Britain should stop pretending that it is an important power in the world (+5 ppts).
  • Three in ten (31%) Britons believe that in 20 years’ time, the UK will be a “Global Britain” that plays an important role in the world, down 7 ppts from last year, while just as many think the country will a ‘small island’ that very few others pay attention to. Younger generations tend to be more optimistic about Britain’s future role on the world stage, with 41% of 18–34-year-olds believing in a “Global Britain”, compared to 30% of those aged 35-54 and 21% of those aged 55-75.
Only three in ten think there will be a "Global Britain" in two decades which plays an important role in the world, down 7 ppts from last year
  • When asked to rate the performance of Foreign Secretary David Lammy, just 16% say he has done a good job. A quarter (25%) say he has done a bad job, while three in ten (31%) say they don’t know how he has performed.

British influence

  • Looking at the UK’s influence in different areas, around half (55%) of Britons believe that the UK currently has a significant amount of influence culturally, down from 64% in July 2024. 49% say it has influence economically, down from 61%. The same proportion (49%) say it has influence militarily, and 47% say it has influence politically (down from 63%).  Across all four spheres, people are less likely to think the UK will have the same level of influence in 20 years’ time.
Around half of Britons tend to think the UK has influence in a range of areas on the global stage
  • Half (49%) of Britons think that other countries take what the UK has to say seriously. Once again younger generations tend to be more optimistic, with 57% of those aged 18-34 agreeing with this statement, compared to 48% of those aged 35-54 and 41% of those aged 55-75. 
  • Those who voted for Reform UK at the last election tend to be the most sceptical of British influence, with 44% agreeing that other countries take what the UK has to say seriously, compared with 55% of Conservative voters and 58% of Labour voters. 
  • Just 30% think Britain should try to increase its influence in the world, though that is double the proportion who want to see it reduced (14%).  39% are broadly content with Britain keeping its influence as it is.

Chagos Islands 

  • Almost two-thirds (64%) of Britons admit to not closely following news stories about the UK government’s recent treaty with Mauritius, which will see sovereignty of the Chagos Islands given to Mauritius. 
  • This lack of awareness is further highlighted by the fact that only a third (33%) could correctly identify the location of the Chagos Islands on a map when given 5 locations to choose from. 45% say they don’t know.
A third of Britons correctly identified where the Chagos Islands are
  • Along with this lack of awareness, the public is divided on the issue of the Chagos Islands. When asked about the government’s decision to cede sovereignty of the island without further context, 22% support the decision and 18% are opposed.  Most, however, are either neutral (15%), say they know nothing about the story (27%), or don’t know (17%). Opinions do not shift much when further background information is provided, other than a slight fall in don’t knows/know nothing about it.
Opinions on the Chagos Islands and their sovereignty are consistent regardless of whether respondents were given more detailed information on the historical context of the Chagos Islands

Commenting on the findings, Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said:

Our new polling shows a British public that is concerned about the UK’s place in the world, particularly over the coming decades.  While there is a belief in Britain’s potential for good, this is coupled with a sense that Britain should be realistic about its capabilities on the world stage. Meanwhile, the issue of the Chagos Islands shows how difficult it can be to engage the public in important aspects of foreign policy where there is little obvious impact on their day-to-day lives.  This suggests a need for a wider conversation about what ‘Global Britain’ means in practice, and how the UK can best exert a positive influence on the world stage – through both soft and hard power - in a time of rising global uncertainty.

Technical note

  • Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 2,187 adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain. Polling was conducted online between the 13th-18th February 2025. 
  • Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.

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