Margaret Thatcher Poll: April 2013

A new Ipsos poll, released today to coincide with Margaret Thatcher's funeral, shows that the British public prefer Margaret Thatcher over any of her successors to list Britain out of the economic crisis.

Margaret Thatcher seen as Prime Minister best able to bring Britain out of economic crisis, but public still divided over her legacy

A new Ipsos poll shows that the British public prefer Margaret Thatcher over any of her successors to lift Britain out of the economic crisis. However, the public is divided over whether her government was good or bad for Britain, and half do not want to see more politicians like her today.

Three in ten British adults (31%) believe Margaret Thatcher would do the best job of getting Britain out of the economic crisis while 21% chose Tony Blair. Equal numbers believe Gordon Brown and David Cameron would be best (13% and 12% respectively) while just 7% chose John Major. Margaret Thatcher was chosen by half (51%) of Conservative and UKIP supporters (54%) and David Cameron was believed to be best equipped by a quarter (25%) of Tories. Labour supporters meanwhile chose Tony Blair (39%) and Gordon Brown (23%).

It has often been said that Margaret Thatcher divided the country, and on the issue of her legacy this appears to be true. Half of the public (47%) believe the eleven years of her government were good for the country while 42% say it was bad. Views on Tony Blair’s time in office are even more split with equal numbers believing his government was good and bad for the country (45%). Although not yet over, David Cameron’s government is judged as being bad for the country by more people than Mr Blair’s or Mrs Thatcher’s. 52% say David Cameron’s three years in government have been bad for the country while 37% say it has been good.

The public is also fairly split on whether they want more politicians like Margaret Thatcher in today’s politics. Half (51%) disagree with the statement “I wish more politicians today were like Margaret Thatcher” while four in ten (39%) agree. Again this divides along party lines with two thirds of Conservatives and UKIP supporters (64% and 66% respectively) agreeing that they want to see more politicians like Margaret Thatcher while 72% of Labour supporters do not.

David Cameron would be a better Prime Minister if he were more like Mrs Thatcher according to three in ten Britons (29%) and half (51%) of Conservative supporters. However, a quarter (23%) think it would make him a worse Prime Minister while 45% think it would make no difference.

David Cameron is seen as having the closest leadership style to Mrs Thatcher of the four main party leaders, regardless of their politics. Three in ten (31%) choose Mr Cameron, with Nigel Farage in second (23%). Just 4% believe Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg have a similar leadership style to Mrs Thatcher while a quarter (23%) of Britons think none of the leaders do.

This polling suggests that Mrs Thatcher appeals to today’s blue collar workers (or C2 social grade). They are the most likely group to say Mrs Thatcher’s government was good for the country (56%) and are also most likely to choose Margaret Thatcher as the best Prime Minister to get Britain out of the economic crisis (39%). The blue collar workers are also the only group who on balance wish more politicians today were like Mrs Thatcher (by 49% to 40%).

Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos said:

“The results show that the public still has respect for Baroness Thatcher’s abilities to get things done, especially among blue collar workers and older people.The question of her legacy, though, still divides the country, with big differences between Conservative and UKIP supporters on the one hand, and Labour voters on the other."

Technical note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,010 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone 13 – 15 April 2013.  Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.

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