Public Sceptical About The Future Of Public Services

The British public are increasingly sceptical of the Government's ability to improve public services, according to the latest Ipsos Government Delivery Index - our regular 'health check' on government performance and public expectations. This scepticism is particularly apparent with the NHS, for which public expectations have reached a record low.

In the latest Delivery Index survey, conducted by telephone between 8-10 September 2006, two in five British adults (40%) think that the Government's policies will improve the state of Britain's economy in the long-term, although slightly more (46%) disagree, giving a net optimism score of -6. This is slightly higher than the net score of -13 in May 2006.

While the public is divided about the future state of the economy, those who think the Government's policies will be good for public services generally are outnumbered by around two to one by those who think that public services will get worse (31% versus 59% - a net score of -28). Net optimism towards public services has declined by ten points since last November and by 26 points since the 2005 General Election.

The NHS

Expectations of the NHS, already at the lowest level ever recorded by the Delivery Index since it started in March 2002, have fallen further in recent months. For the first time, as many as half (50%) of the British public think that the NHS will get worse over the next few years, compared with fewer than one in five (18%) who think it will get better, giving a net score of -32. At the time of the 2005 General Election this score was +9.

At the same time, Ipsos's September Political Monitor showed that the Conservatives have now overtaken Labour as the party considered to have the best policies on healthcare among those who consider the issue to be important in how they vote - this has not happened since 1997.

Public concern about the NHS is mirrored within the service. According to the latest Ipsos / Work Foundation Workers' Index public sector employees working in the health service are clearly more disillusioned than their counterparts working in the education and local government sectors. Indeed, 38% of health workers doubt senior management knows where it is going, a quarter (24%) believe the NHS does not put the needs of patients first, and one in five (22%) are active critics of the NHS as an employer. In Ipsos's experience, the extent to which employees are prepared to speak highly of their employer is critical to that organisations' wider reputation.

Public optimism towards public transport and policing have also experienced a decline since May, with net optimism for public transport falling by eight points to -6 and net optimism for policing by five points to -5. More now think that each will get worse in the next few years than think it will get better.

There are some encouraging indicators for the Government. Education appears to have re-established itself as the Government's 'success story'. Around one in three (34%) believe that education will improve, while around one in four (24%) believe that it will get worse, giving a net optimism score of +10 - about the level recorded at time of the last General Election.

Three in ten (30%) think that the quality of the environment will get better over the next few years, while four in ten (40%) believe it will get worse, giving a net score of -10, up from -18 in May.

For further details about the Ipsos Government Delivery Index please contact Graham Keilloh on 020 7347 3000. Further details can also be found at: Delivery Index Archive