Post-Budget Poll 1978

MORI interviewed a representative interlocking quota sample of 1,238 adults aged 18+. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in 63 constituency sampling points across Great Britain on 12-13 April 1978. The survey was partly concerned to gauge reactions to the Budget which the Chancellor, Denis Healey, presented to the House of Commons on 11 April.

Q1 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the government is running the country?

	%
Satisfied	46
Dissatisfied	46
Don't know	8

Q2 How would you vote if there were a General Election tomorrow? (If undecided or refused at Q2) Q3 Which party are you most inclined to support? Base: All expressing a voting intention

	%
Conservative	46
Labour	44
Liberal	7
Other	3

Q4 What would you say is the single most important problem facing Britain today? Q5 Now, looking at this list, which other problems do you think are particularly important in Britain today?

	Q4 Single most important (unprompted)	Q4/Q5 Most plus other important (others prompted)
	%	%
Unemployment	37	72
Prices/cost of living	3	58
Immigration	8	37
Law and order	4	35
Schools and education	2	29
National Health Service	1	27
Housing	2	22
Industrial relations	3	19
Northern Ireland	1	18
Race Relations	1	15
Public ownership	1	7
Rhodesia	0	5
Other	16	n/a
Don't know	4	n/a

Q6 I am going to read out a list of issues facing people in Britain today. From this card, would you please tell me which political party you think has the best policies on each one.

		Conser- vative	Labour	Liberal	National Front	Nationalist	None	Don't know
Housing	%	38	29	2	*	1	6	23
Immigration	%	51	22	3	3	1	4	15
National Health Service	%	28	29	3	0	1	6	22
Public ownership	%	47	23	4	0	1	3	22
Northern Ireland	%	17	17	2	1	1	21	41
Rhodesia	%	19	19	1	1	1	16	42
Prices/cost of living	%	34	41	3	*	1	8	12
Race relations	%	43	26	4	2	1	6	17
Law and order	%	41	21	2	1	1	10	21
Schools and education	%	47	31	2	0	1	4	14
Industrial relations	%	25	45	3	*	1	4	21
Unemployment	%	32	31	3	*	1	12	20

Q7 What is the name of the person identified on this photograph by the letter A/B/C...? (Note: Because of copyright considerations, we are unable to show the photographs that respondents were shown in 1978)

		Correct	Incorrect	Don't know
Dr David Owen	%	42	6	52
Denis Healey	%	84	3	13
William Whitelaw	%	48	4	48
Shirley Williams	%	61	3	36
Sir Harold Wilson	%	90	1	9
Sir Geoffrey Howe	%	13	5	83
Enoch Powell	%	85	1	15
David Steel	%	66	4	30
James Prior	%	13	5	82
Margaret Thatcher	%	77	*	23
Michael Foot	%	64	3	33
Tony Benn	%	51	2	46
Sir Keith Joseph	%	21	4	75
James Callaghan	%	86	1	13
John Davies	%	5	4	91
Edward Heath	%	94	1	6

Q7a Now for each person I read out, I would like you to tell me, first of all, whether you feel they are "honest" or "dishonest".

 

		Honest	Neither	Dishonest	Don't know
Dr David Owen	%	46	10	10	34
Denis Healey	%	60	12	14	13
William Whitelaw	%	41	11	11	37
Shirley Williams	%	53	11	14	23
Sir Harold Wilson	%	43	15	30	12
Sir Geoffrey Howe	%	22	8	4	65
Enoch Powell	%	65	10	14	11
David Steel	%	53	12	13	23
James Prior	%	20	8	5	68
Margaret Thatcher	%	49	13	17	21
Michael Foot	%	42	14	21	24
Tony Benn	%	32	13	26	29
Sir Keith Joseph	%	34	9	9	49
James Callaghan	%	65	11	12	12
John Davies	%	11	8	4	77
Edward Heath	%	66	10	13	11

Q7b Now for each one, I would like you to tell me, first of all, whether you feel they are "in touch with ordinary people" or "out of touch with ordinary people".

		In touch	Neither	Out of touch	Don't know
Dr David Owen	%	34	6	28	32
Denis Healey	%	57	8	25	11
William Whitelaw	%	34	7	25	34
Shirley Williams	%	50	7	23	20
Sir Harold Wilson	%	40	8	41	12
Sir Geoffrey Howe	%	15	6	15	63
Enoch Powell	%	56	7	25	12
David Steel	%	50	8	21	21
James Prior	%	14	6	13	68
Margaret Thatcher	%	48	6	27	19
Michael Foot	%	36	10	32	27
Tony Benn	%	30	9	35	26
Sir Keith Joseph	%	22	6	25	47
James Callaghan	%	62	7	20	11
John Davies	%	7	6	12	75
Edward Heath	%	37	7	46	9

Q7c Finally, for each one please would you tell me whether you think they are "capable" or "not capable" as a politician.

		Capable	Neither	Not capable	Don't know
Dr David Owen	%	50	7	13	30
Denis Healey	%	74	7	11	9
William Whitelaw	%	46	7	12	36
Shirley Williams	%	57	8	17	18
Sir Harold Wilson	%	63	7	19	11
Sir Geoffrey Howe	%	26	6	7	61
Enoch Powell	%	63	7	19	10
David Steel	%	57	8	15	19
James Prior	%	24	7	6	63
Margaret Thatcher	%	59	6	15	19
Michael Foot	%	52	9	20	19
Tony Benn	%	41	9	24	26
Sir Keith Joseph	%	37	7	11	42
James Callaghan	%	76	6	9	9
John Davies	%	16	6	5	73
Edward Heath	%	66	7	18	8

Q8a A number of ways have been suggested for using the money from North Sea Oil. Which one of the things on this card would you most like the Government to do? (Please give the letter by the side of your choice.) Q8b And which next?

	Most like	Next like	Most plus next
	%	%	%
Create new jobs in industry	32	31	63
Invest in new energy supplies for when the oil runs out	26	25	50
Spend more on public services such as schools and hospitals	15	30	45
Reduce taxes	10	22	32
Repay Britain's international debts	10	21	31
Raise pensions	6	16	21
Don't know	1	2	3

 

Q9 Do you think the general economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same or get worse over the next twelve months?

	%
Improve	41
Stay the same	37
Get worse	17
Don't know	4

Q10 Do you think the Government's present pay policy has proved to be a good thing or a bad thing for the country?

	%
Good thing	73
Bad thing	17
Don't know	10

Q11 Which one of these pay policies do you think would be best...?

(a) ...for you personally? (b) ...for the country as a whole?

	You personally	Country as a whole
	%	%
Fixed pay limits	26	40
A more flexible pay policy than during the last three years	41	39
Free pay negotiations	21	14
Don't know	12	6

 

 

Q12 Do you think the budget proposals generally are a good thing or a bad thing..?

(a) ...for you personally? (b) ...for the country as a whole?

	You personally	Country as a whole
	%	%
Good	68	69
Bad	18	17
Don't know	15	15

 

Q13 I am going to read you some statements. For each one I would like you to tell me whether, on balance, you agree or disagree with each one. First...

 

		Agree	Disagree	Don't know
The Government should reduce income tax further and make up the difference with higher VAT on the goods you buy	%	49	46	5
Many lower-paid people would be just as well off if they stopped working and lived on state benefits	%	70	26	4
Higher-paid people pay so much income tax that there is no incentive for them to work harder	%	73	22	5

Q14 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mr Healey is doing his job as Chancellor of the Exchequer? Q15 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mr Callaghan is doing his job as Prime Minister? Q16 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mrs Thatcher is doing her job as Leader of the Opposition?

	Healey	Callaghan	Thatcher
	%	%	%
Satisfied	67	64	54
Dissatisfied	28	31	40
Don't know	5	5	6