Political Attitudes in Great Britain, October 1996
MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,747 adults aged 18+ at 161 sampling points across Great Britain. Fieldwork was conducted face-to-face on 25-28 October 1996, as part of MORI's regular Omnibus survey. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.
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?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Conservative | 28 |
| Labour | 56 |
| Liberal Democrats (Lib Dem) | 12 |
| Scottish/Welsh Nationalist | 2 |
| Green Party | 1 |
| Referendum Party | 1 |
| Other | * |
| Voting intention percentages exclude 6% undecided, 4% refused and 9% would not vote | |
Q3 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the Government is running the country? Q4 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mr Major is doing his job as Prime Minister? Q5 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mr Blair is doing his job as Leader of the Labour Party? Q6 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mr Ashdown is doing his job as Leader of the Liberal Democrats?
| Satisfied | Dissatisfied | Don't know | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government | % | 18 | 73 | 9 |
| Major | % | 30 | 60 | 10 |
| Blair | % | 51 | 27 | 22 |
| Ashdown | % | 42 | 28 | 30 |
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? UNPROMPTED ANSWERS
| Q7 | Q7/8 | |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| AIDS | * | 1 |
| Animal welfare | * | 1 |
| Beef/BSE/Mad Cow Disease | 1 | 3 |
| Common Market/EU/Europe/Single European Currency | 10 | 20 |
| Crime/law & order/violence/vandalism | 19 | 41 |
| Defence/foreign affairs | * | 2 |
| Drug abuse | 2 | 6 |
| Economy/economic situation | 6 | 13 |
| Education/schools | 12 | 39 |
| Housing | 1 | 7 |
| Inflation/prices | * | 2 |
| Local government/council tax | * | 1 |
| Morality/individual behaviour | 2 | 7 |
| National Health Service/Hospitals | 10 | 36 |
| Northern Ireland | * | 1 |
| Nuclear power/fuels | * | * |
| Nuclear weapons/nuclear war/disarmament | * | * |
| Pensions/social security | 1 | 11 |
| Pollution/environment | 1 | 4 |
| Pound/exchange rate/value of pound | * | * |
| Privatisation | * | 2 |
| Race relations/immigration/immigrants | 1 | 3 |
| Scottish Assembly | 0 | * |
| Taxation | 1 | 4 |
| Trade unions/strikes | * | * |
| Unemployment/factory closure/lack of industry | 20 | 37 |
| Other | 7 | 19 |
| Don't know | 6 | 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?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Improve | 25 |
| Stay the same | 40 |
| Get worse | 26 |
| Don't know | 9 |
Q10 Here is a list of things both favourable and unfavourable that have been said about various politicians. I would like you to pick out all those statements that you feel fit Mr Major/Mr Blair/Mr Ashdown.
| Major | Blair | Ashdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| A capable leader | 19 | 33 | 22 |
| Good in a crisis | 11 | 9 | 9 |
| Understands world problems | 19 | 20 | 17 |
| Tends to talk down to people | 18 | 11 | 7 |
| Rather narrow minded | 21 | 7 | 7 |
| Too inflexible | 19 | 7 | 6 |
| Has sound judgement | 11 | 19 | 15 |
| More honest than most politicians | 21 | 20 | 22 |
| Down-to-earth | 16 | 22 | 21 |
| Understands the problems facing Britain | 21 | 34 | 21 |
| Patriotic | 27 | 16 | 22 |
| Has got a lot of personality | 5 | 33 | 18 |
| Rather inexperienced | 9 | 27 | 14 |
| Out of touch with ordinary people | 47 | 9 | 9 |
| No opinion | 11 | 16 | 31 |
Q11 Generally speaking, do you think of yourself as Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, or what?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Conservative | 27 |
| Labour | 40 |
| Liberal Democrat | 10 |
| Scottish/Welsh Nationalist | 2 |
| Green | * |
| Other | 1 |
| Don't know | 4 |
| None of these | 14 |
| Refused | 2 |
Q12 Which party did you vote for at the last general election, in April 1992? If you are not sure, or did not vote, please say so.
| % | |
|---|---|
| Conservative | 30 |
| Labour | 37 |
| Liberal Democrat | 8 |
| Scottish/Welsh Nationalist | 2 |
| Green | 1 |
| Other | * |
| Did not vote | 14 |
| Too young | 4 |
| Can't remember | 1 |
| Refused | 3 |
Q13 As you may know, Mrs Frances Lawrence, the widow of the murdered London headmaster Philip Lawrence, has put forward proposals to tackle violence in Society and promote good citizenship. These proposals include a ban on the sale of combat knives, lessons in school on good citizenship, and raising the public standing of teachers and of the Police. Which political party, if any, do you think would be most likely to put Mrs Lawrence's ideas into practice?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Conservative | 20 |
| Labour | 45 |
| Liberal Democrats | 8 |
| Other | 1 |
| None | 8 |
| Don't know | 17 |
