More than 6 in 10 Britons dissatisfied with how the government is running the country

• 62% of Britons dissatisfied with how the government is running the country – up 14 pp from July. 
• Over half (54%) of Britons are dissatisfied with Keir Starmer as PM, up 24 pp from July. 
• Growing economic pessimism – majority expect economy to worsen in the next 12 months.

The latest Ipsos Political Monitor, taken 11th -17th September 2024 asks the public their views on the government and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.  

Increasing dissatisfaction with both the government and Keir Starmer

• A quarter (25%) of Britons are satisfied with how the government is running the country (-2 from July), 62% are dissatisfied (+14). 
• A third (33%) are satisfied with the job Keir Starmer is doing as Prime Minister (-4). Over half (54%) are dissatisfied (+24). 
• When placed in historical context, Starmer’s net approval rating of -21 with the public overall is slightly worse than Ipsos’ all-time average for a Prime Minister, going back to Margaret Thatcher (-1). 
• Starmer’s personal average net satisfaction rating this year is -18, which is roughly in line with previous Prime Ministers, despite the recent drop in his ratings. 
• Dissatisfaction with both the government and Prime Minister has increased amongst those who voted Labour in the last General Election on July 4th. Half (50%) of Labour voters are satisfied with the government (-6) and 32% are dissatisfied (+13). 66% are satisfied with the job Keir Starmer is doing as PM (-6) and 22% are dissatisfied (+16). 

Increasing economic pessimism

• Concern about the economy is increasing as satisfaction scores for Chancellor Rachel Reeves worsen.
• 56% think the economy will get worse in the next 12 months (+13), 21% think it will improve (-12). 56% is the highest figure recorded this year.
• A quarter (24%) of Britons are satisfied with Rachel Reeves as Chancellor (-10 from July), while 46% are dissatisfied (+21). These are higher levels of dissatisfaction than Rishi Sunak ever achieved as Chancellor, but his successors had worse scores at times.
• When asked about their personal finances, just 18% expect them to improve in the next year (44% expect them to get worse).   

Future expectations

• The public are less hopeful about what this government will do than they were after the last change of governing party in 2010. When asked if they are more hopeful or more fearful about what this government will do in office, 43% describe themselves as more fearful and 35% more hopeful. In September 2010 52% said they were more hopeful and 44% more fearful. However, the difference is explained not in people being more fearful this time but, by an increase in those who currently say neither (8%, +6pts) or both equally (10%, +9pts).   
• Despite this, the public think this government is more competent than the last. One in three (33%) agree that competent is an accurate way to describe the current government, while 45% disagree. In May 2024, just 14% considered the Sunak government competent and 68% disagreed. 
• 40% agree Keir Starmer has what it takes to be a good PM (+4 from Jan) and 43% disagree (+6).

Keiran Pedley, Director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said:

Whilst it is clearly far too early to make definitive judgements about the fate of Keir Starmer’s government, it is also clear that he has become less popular since become Prime Minister. The honeymoon appears over as other research by Ipsos shows half of the public are disappointed by what they have seen from the government so far – including one in four voting Labour in July. 
That said, with the Conservatives leaderless, Labour enjoying a large majority in parliament and the new government still seen as more competent than the one it replaced, Labour clearly holds an advantage over its political rivals. 
Labour also has time to show it can deliver on the public’s core priorities, such as fixing Britain’s public services. It is likely that their success, or otherwise, there will determine the new government’s fate rather than poll ratings a few months in.

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,009 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain Interviews were conducted by telephone between 11-17 September 2024. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.