MORI Political Monitor, August 2001
Political Attitudes in Great Britain for August 2001, including questions on the Conservative leadership election and on attitudes to private sector provision of public services
- MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,840 adults aged 18+ at 189 sampling points across Great Britain
- Interviews were conducted face-to-face between 23-28 August 2001
- Data are weighted to match the profile of the population
- Results are based on all respondents unless otherwise stated
- An '*' indicates a finding of less than 0.5%, but greater than zero
- Poll conducted by MORI on behalf of The Times
Q1 How would you vote if there were a General Election tomorrow? [If undecided or refused at Q1] Q2 Which party are you most inclined to support? Base: All respondents 18+ [1,840]
| Conservative |  25% |
| Labour |  53% |
| Liberal Democrats |  16% |
| Scottish/Welsh Nationalist |  3% |
| Green Party |  2% |
| Democratic/UKIP/Referendum Party |  1% |
| Other |  1% |
| Lab lead 177 | +28 |
| Would not vote | 13% |
| Undecided | 6% |
| Refused | 1% |
Q3-Q6 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the Government/Mr Blair/Mr Kennedy are doing their job? [Q5 refers to the Conservative Party leader] Base: 972
| Satisfied | Dissatisfied | Don't know | Index | |
| % | % | % | % | |
| Government | 40 | 48 | 12 | -8 |
| Blair | 49 | 43 | 9 | +6 |
| Q5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Kennedy | 43 | 14 | 42 | +29 |
Q7 What would you say is the most important issue facing Britain today? Q8 What do you see as other important issues facing Britain today? Base: 972
| % | % | |
| National Health Service/Hospitals | 23 | 54 |
| Education/schools | 10 | 35 |
| Race relations/immigration/immigrants | 11 | 23 |
| Common Market/EU/Europe/Single European Currency | 12 | 22 |
| Crime/law & order/violence/vandalism | 7 | 22 |
| Economy/economic situation | 8 | 13 |
| Unemployment/factory closure/lack of industry | 5 | 13 |
| Transport/public transport | 1 | 9 |
| Pensions/social security | 1 | 8 |
| Foot and mouth outbreak/farming crisis | 3 | 7 |
| Housing | 1 | 6 |
| Poverty/inequality | 2 | 5 |
| Taxation | 1 | 5 |
| Drug abuse | 1 | 4 |
| Morality/individual behaviour | 1 | 4 |
| Pollution/environment | 1 | 4 |
| Low pay/minimum wage/fair wages | * | 3 |
| Petrol prices/fuel | 0 | 3 |
| Animal welfare | 1 | 2 |
| Inflation/prices | 1 | 2 |
| Beef/BSE/Mad Cow Disease | * | 2 |
| Defence/foreign affairs | * | 2 |
| Local government/council tax | * | 2 |
| Countryside/rural life | 0 | 2 |
| GM/GM (Genetically Modified) foods | * | 1 |
| Northern Ireland | * | 1 |
| Pound/exchange rate/value of pound | * | 1 |
| Privatisation | * | 1 |
| AIDS | 0 | 1 |
| Nuclear weapons/nuclear war/disarmament | 0 | * |
| Scottish/Welsh Assembly/Devolution Constitutional reform | 0 | * |
| Trade unions/strikes | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 4 | 14 |
| Don't know | 5 | 5 |
Q9 Do you think that the general economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same, or get worse over the next 12 months? Base: 972
| % | |
| Improve | 12 |
| Stay the same | 39 |
| Get worse | 43 |
| Don't know | 6 |
| MORI EOI | -31 |
Q10 Who do you think would do the best job as leader of the Conservative Party - Kenneth Clarke or Iain Duncan Smith?
| All | Con Supporters | |
| (972) | (185) | |
| % | % | |
| Kenneth Clarke | 39 | 36 |
| Iain Duncan Smith | 23 | 41 |
| Neither | 12 | 10 |
| Other | * | 2 |
| Don't know | 25 | 11 |
And still thinking about Kenneth Clarke and Iain Duncan Smith, who do you think would do the best job at ...
Q11 ... uniting the Conservative Party?
| All | Con Supporters | |
| (972) | (185) | |
| % | % | |
| Kenneth Clarke | 34 | 34 |
| Iain Duncan Smith | 23 | 40 |
| Neither | 13 | 11 |
| Other | * | 1 |
| Don't know | 30 | 14 |
Q12 ... increasing Conservative support across the country?
| All | Con Supporters | |
| (972) | (185) | |
| % | % | |
| Kenneth Clarke | 46 | 48 |
| Iain Duncan Smith | 20 | 35 |
| Neither | 7 | 3 |
| Other | * | 0 |
| Don't know | 27 | 14 |
Q13-17 As you know, some public services are provided by the public sector (through government, the NHS, local councils etc). Other public services are provided by private sector companies. Which of the following categories best fits your view on how they should be provided. Base: 972
| Q13 | Q14 | Q15 | Q16 | Q17 | |
| Schools | Hospitals | Pensions | Public sector utilities like water and gas | Trains | |
| % | % | % | % | % | |
| The service should be provided entirely by private sector companies | 2 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 9 |
| The service should be provided mostly by private sector companies | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 7 |
| The service should be provided by a mixture of private sector companies and the public sector | 28 | 29 | 39 | 22 | 21 |
| The service should be provided mostly by the public sector | 20 | 19 | 13 | 16 | 17 |
| The service should be provided entirely by the public sector | 44 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| None of these | * | * | * | * | 1 |
| Don't know | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Private sector | 5 | 6 | 13 | 28 | 16 |
| Public sector | 64 | 64 | 43 | 46 | 57 |
| Net public sector (+%) | +59 | +58 | +30 | +18 | +41 |
Q18 Which party did you vote for at the General Election on 7th June 2001? If you are not sure, or did not vote, please say so. Base: 972
| Conservative | 20% |
| Labour | 37% |
| Liberal Democrats | 10% |
| Scottish/Welsh Nationalist | 2% |
| Green Party | 1% |
| UKIP | 1% |
| Other | 1% |
| Did not vote | 26% |
| Too young | *% |
| Can't remember | 1% |
| Refused | 2% |
More insights about Public Sector
