Nearly half favour improving the economy nationally over regional development as most Brits say economy growth does more good than harm

• Nearly 6 in 10 Britons (59%) agree economic growth does more good than harm, compared with just 13% who feel it causes more damage.
• Nearly 1 in 2 (47%) want more focus on improving the UK economy as a whole over improving the economy of specific regions and nations (favoured by 29%)
• Nearly 1 in 2 British adults (48%) support strict limits on immigration even if it harms economic growth, while 32% favour allowing as much immigration as needed to meet economic needs.
• 44% of the public prioritise protecting the environment over economic growth, whereas 24% believe growth should take precedence over environmental protection.

Broad consensus on economic growth, but divide over green priorities
While economic growth has strong public support in principle, introducing trade offs around the environment and immigration softens support:

• 59% of Britons agree that economic growth does more good than harm, while only 13% argue that growth does more harm than good.
• When forced to choose between the environment and the economy, 44% of British adults say more focus should be placed on protecting the environment even if that harms economic growth, up from 38% in November 2024.
• Conversely, 24% of the public believe more focus should be placed on economic growth, even if that comes at the expense of protecting the environment, a decline from 30% in November 2024.

Strict limits on immigration preferred even if it would leave to more growth
The relationship between economic growth and border policy remains one of the most contentious issues facing Westminster, with a majority favouring tighter migration controls, even if it hinders growth:

• Nearly 1 in 2 Britons (48%) state that there should be strict limits on immigration into Britain even if that harms economic growth.
• In contrast, 1 in 3 (32%) believe Britain should allow as much immigration as the economy needs to support growth.
• Political alignment strongly shapes these views: 74% of 2024 Conservative voters and 83% of Reform UK voters support strict limits regardless of economic impact, while 47% of Labour voters prefer allowing as much immigration as needed to boost the economy.

Wealth redistribution versus nationwide economic growth
When considering how the economy should be structured Britons are split on redistribution but leans towards a national over regional focus:

• The public are divided on redistribution: 37% of Britons believe growing the overall economy is more important than redistributing money between people, while 34% feel redistributing money between people is more important than overall growth, and another 20% saying both are equally important.
• On regional development, 47% of British adults say more focus should be placed on improving the UK economy as a whole, compared with 29% who think focus should instead be on specific regions and nations within the UK (though support for regional targeting rises to 44% in Scotland). 
• Support for regional focus has risen from 23% in November 2024, while focus on the whole economy has dropped from 55%.

Commenting on the findings, Alex Bogdan, Research Director at Ipsos in the UK said:

Our new poll shows most Britons see economic growth as positive and the preference among the public is towards a focus on the national economy over regional development. With No 10 North poised to take responsibility for economic growth and devolution strategy, the primary political challenge for Andy Burnham will not be convincing the public that growth matters, but how a focus on local and regional growth can benefit the wider economy.

Technical notes:

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,067 online British adults aged 18–75. Polling was conducted online between 31 July – 4 August 2026.
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.