Pulse Check - July 2025
Little public support for doctors strikes
July 2025
Checking the pulse of the nation
Little public support for doctors strikes
Just 26% of British adults support resident (junior) doctors going on strike. Two in five (41%) oppose the strikes, and 24% are neutral. 2024 Labour voters are divided. 35% of Labour voters support resident doctors going on strike, 32% oppose, and 24% are neutral. Conservative and Reform 2024 voters are clearly opposed - 62% and 58% respectively.
Gen Z, meet the ballot box
Labour announced plans to extend the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds in time for the next general election. But during the last election, just 3 in10 Britons supported changing the voting age from 18 to 16, making it the least popular of Labour's manifesto policies that we tested. It also raises challenges around electoral registration and turnout, which Ipsos data shows is currently very low among young people.
Burnham and Farage lead Starmer
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (35%) beats current Prime Minister Keir Starmer (26%), Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner (23%) and Health Secretary Wes Streeting (19%) among the public for who they think would be a good leader of the Labour Party. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has extended his lead over Starmer as being seen as in touch with ordinary people and understanding the problems facing Britain.
One year on from the General Election
This month marks the first full year of Labour in office - but it hasn't all been smooth sailing. The past month alone has seen welfare rebellions, difficult economic news and doctor strikes, hasseen party infighting, MP suspensions, and sinking public support, which have all cast a shadow over what should have been a celebration marked by key government announcements such as their 10 Year Health Plan.
Meanwhile immigration remains the top issue facing the country in the eyes of the public and economic optimism has dipped again.
Public perception is bleak. Half of Britons (49%) now believe Keir Starmer has changed the country for the worse. While that’s still better than the verdict on Liz Truss in October 2022, when 70% said she had changed Britain for the worse, Starmer's rating is similar to the 47% who felt the same about Boris Johnson in October 2021.
Confidence in the country's direction is also in decline. 64% say the country is heading in the wrong direction, with just 17% feeling optimistic about the direction of travel. That leaves a net score of -47, a noticeable drop from -38 just a month ago.
Starmer’s personal popularity isn’t faring much better. His net favourability has fallen to -34 (21% favourable vs. 55% unfavourable), down from -28 in June. For context, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is currently polling at a similar level, with a net favourability of -32, while Nigel Farage is the most popular at -14. Kemi Badenoch is still struggling to break through with a net score -30, but 36% are still neutral or don’t know about her.
Britons are also unimpressed with a core pillar of Labour’s plan for delivery. Only 1 in 4 (23%) are familiar with five missions, half (48%) think Labour is doing badly delivering mission-led government, and ratings on the three most important missions (the NHS, economic growth and taking back the streets) have all got worse since the start of the year.
Labour still has the lead on the NHS and breaking down barriers to opportunity, but is behind Reform on crime, and in a near dead-heat with the Conservatives and Reform on growth. Meanwhile no party being preferred by more than 1 in 4 on any mission points to a fractured electorate
With MPs heading off for summer recess, the mood within the Labour camp is far from relaxed. The party now faces a crucial question: how will it regroup and reconnect with the public? There is still time for Labour to turn this around, but if they don’t there is opportunity for their opponents to take the initiative instead.
In case you missed it...
On 17 July 2025, Ipsos hosted a webinar discussing the recently published 2025 GP Patient Survey (GPPS). The survey findings provide valuable insights into patient experience with GP practices, and other local primary care services, across England. The aim of the webinar was to share information about the survey itself, the results, and how to use and access the findings.
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