Northern Rock, Metric Measurements And The EU Constitutional Treaty

Ipsos's recent survey for The Sun (conducted by telephone 20-22 September 2007) shows Labour on 42%, the Conservatives on 34% and the Liberal Democrats on 14%, giving a Labour lead of 8 points.

The survey focuses on British support for the new EU Constitutional Treaty, and shows that more than eight in ten (81%) people would prefer that the question of whether or not Britain should sign the Treaty be put to a referendum rather than decided by Parliament (16%). However, views are equally divided on support for the treaty, with 44% saying they are in favour of it, and 46% against, with one in ten saying they 'don't know'. However, with fewer than half (45%) of the public saying they would be 'certain to vote' if a referendum were held, there is no guarantee that an actual vote would produce such a balanced divide in opinion.

Our survey also finds that two in five (42%) are satisfied with the way the Government handled the problems with Northern Rock. Furthermore, more than half (54%) of the public would prefer Labour's team of Gordon Brown and Alastair Darling over the Conservative team of David Cameron and George Osborne in handling another similar crisis.

Topline Results

• Ipsos interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,009 adults in Great Britain aged 18+.
• Interviews were conducted by telephone between 20-22 September 2007.
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.
• Download the data tabulations pdf, 140KB

Voting — all absolutely certain to vote

Qa How would you vote if there were a General Election tomorrow?

(If undecided or refused at Q1)

Qa Which party are you most inclined to support?

Base: All 'absolutely certain to vote' (530)

Voting — all

Qb How would you vote if there were a General Election tomorrow?

(If undecided or refused at Q1)

Qb Which party are you most inclined to support?

Base: All naming a party (1,009)

Qc And how likely would you be to vote in an immediate General Election, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 means you would be absolutely certain to vote, and 1 means that you would be absolutely certain not to vote? Base: 1,009 British adults 18+

Q1 Overall, are satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the Government has handled the problems with the Northern Rock Bank?

Q2 Which team of leaders do you have more confidence in to handle a similar problem in the future, … or … ?

Q3 Which of the following best describes your own view of British membership of the European Union?

Q4 If there were a referendum now on whether Britain should stay in or get out of the European Union, how would you vote?

*Excludes 'don't know' responses

Q5 Do you think that it would be better to allow Parliament to decide whether or not Britain should sign the EU Constitutional Treaty, or should it be put to the British public to decide in a Referendum?

Q6 Which of the following best describes your own view of Britain adopting the proposed EU Constitutional Treaty?

Q7 If there were a referendum now on whether Britain adopt the proposed EU Constitutional Treaty, how would you vote?

Q8 How likely are you to vote in a referendum on whether Britain should sign the new European Constitutional Treaty?

*NB Wording in 2004 referred to 'the new European Constitution'

Q9 Some opponents of the government say that because Labour promised a referendum on the EU Constitution when they won the 2005 election, there should be a referendum on the new EU Constitutional Treaty. Gordon Brown says that the constitution and the treaty are not the same, and that there is no need for a referendum on the treaty.

Do you think that Mr Brown is going back on the promises his party made in 2005, or do you think Mr Brown is correct in saying that the issue is different?

If Brown Promises To Hold A Referendum:

Q10a How would you vote a General Election tomorrow if Gordon Brown promises to hold a referendum on Britain adopting the new EU Constitutional Treaty?

(If undecided or refused at Q10a)

Q10b Which party are you most inclined to support?

Base: All 'absolutely certain to vote' (530)

If Brown Says He Will Not Hold A Referendum:

Q11a How would you vote a General Election tomorrow if Gordon Brown says that he will not hold a referendum on Britain adopting the EU Constitutional Treaty?

(If undecided or refused at Q11a)

Q11b Which party are you most inclined to support?

Base: All 'absolutely certain to vote' (530)

Q12 As you may have heard, the EU recently decided to drop rules that would require Britain to use metric measurements of traditional units like pounds, pints and miles.

How strongly would you support and oppose Britain switching to use entirely metric measurements, rather than continuing to use traditional units?

Q13 And does the fact that the EU no longer requires Britain to use metric measurements make you more or less likely to support Britain's membership in the EU, or does it make no difference?