No sign of improvement in Rishi Sunak’s personal poll ratings post budget

6 in 10 (58%) of Britons say the country is heading in the wrong direction in the March 2023 UK Political Pulse from Ipsos

29 March 2023

The author(s)

Keiran Pedley Public Affairs
Gideon Skinner Public Affairs
Cameron Garrett Public Affairs
Ben Roff Public Affairs

Get in touch

45% unfavourable towards PM (-1pts from February), 29% favourable (+2pts).
52% unfavourable towards the Conservative Party (-2 pts). 20% favourable (-5 pts).
58% of Britons say things heading in the wrong direction (-2 pts).

The latest update to the Ipsos Political Pulse, taking March 17th-20th following the budget, shows little change in Rishi Sunak’s personal poll ratings and a majority of Britons still holding an unfavourable opinion towards the Conservative Party.

Favourability of politicians

Looking at opinions of leading politicians, a similar proportion of the public is favourable towards Rishi Sunak as Keir Starmer but they are more unfavourable towards the Prime Minister. 29% are favourable towards Rishi Sunak (+2 pts from February) and 45% are unfavourable (-1pt). 31% are favourable towards the Labour leader (-1pt from February) and 37% are unfavourable (-2).

To what extent, if at all, do you have a favourable or unfavourable opinion of the following politicians and political parties? (% Favourable / % Unfavourable Keir Starmer 31% 37% Rishi Sunak 29% 45% Jeremy Hunt 22% 44% Suella Braverman 17% 45% James Cleverly 13% 34% Base: 1,135 Online British adults aged 18+ 17-20 March 2023

Looking at other politicians that have been in the news recently, despite the recent budget and various announcements related to UK asylum policy, we see little change in favourability ratings for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Suella Braverman. 22% are favourable towards Jeremy Hunt (+4 pts from February) and 44% are unfavourable (-2). Meanwhile, 17% are favourable towards Suella Braverman (+3 pts from February) and 45% are unfavourable (-2).

Favourability towards parties

With a net score of+2, the Labour Party appears the most popular political party currently, 37% have a favourable opinion of the Opposition party (-1 pts from February) while 35% are unfavourable (-1). With 28% positive towards the Green Party (no change) and 31% negative (+1), they see a net score of -3. The Conservatives see the lowest score with -32, 20% are favourable towards them (-5) while 52% are unfavourable (-2). The Liberal Democrats see a score of -13 while Reform UK (new to our list last month) score -25 (13% favourable, -1pt from February and 38% unfavourable, no change). However, many are neutral or do not have an opinion.

To what extent, if at all, do you have a favourable or unfavourable opinion of the following politicians and political parties? (% Favourable / % Unfavourable) Reform UK 13% 38% Conservatives 20% 52% Lib Dem 23% 36% Greens 28% 31% Labour 37% 35% Base: 1,135 Online British adults aged 18+ 17-20 March 2023

Brexit and direction of country

Generally speaking, do you think things in Great Britain are heading in the right direction or wrong direction? Right Direction 16% Wrong Direction 58% Net right direction: -42 Base: 1,135 Online British adults aged 18+ 17-20 March 2023

Elsewhere in the poll:

58% of Britons think things are heading in the wrong direction (-2 pts from February). Whilst the monthly change here is small, this figure is significantly lower than the peak of 69% saying the same last October.
Similarly, 16% think things are heading in the right direction (-2 pts from February). Whilst this is up from the low of 9% last October, this is still very much a minority.
54% think Brexit is having a negative impact on the country (-1pt from February). This is the 5th month in a row where more than 50% have said this. 20% think it is having a positive impact (-1pt) and 19% are neutral (+1).

Overall, do you think the UK’s decision to leave the European Union has had a positive or negative impact on the country, or has it made no difference? Positive impact 20% Negative impact 54% No difference 19% Base: 1,135 Online British adults aged 18+ 17-20 March 2023

Keiran Pedley, at Ipsos, said:

Rishi Sunak’s personal poll ratings do not seem to have improved much, if at all, following the recent budget and announcements regarding UK asylum policy. Whilst less negative than last October, Britons are still fairly pessimistic about the future of the country and the Conservative Party remains unpopular (with more than half unfavourable towards it). The Prime Minister will hope for a sustained period of political stability and improvement in the economy will help him turn his party’s fortunes around.

Technical note

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,135 Britons aged 18+. Interviews were conducted online from 17-20 March 2023. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.