Theresa May's honeymoon continues as Jeremy Corbyn still struggles with public approval
Theresa May continues to have strong backing from the British public according to Ipsos's February 2017 Political Monitor.
Theresa May continues to have strong backing from the British public according to Ipsos’s latest Political Monitor. The new poll reveals that the Prime Minister’s honeymoon is yet to end with more than half (53%) of the public satisfied with her performance (up 8 points). One in three (36%) said they were dissatisfied with her (down 3 points) leaving Ms May a net satisfaction score of +17 (up 11 points).
The poll also shows little change in Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn’s ratings as he continues to make little progress with the public. One in four (24%) say they are satisfied with Mr Corbyn doing his job (down 2 points) and 62% dissatisfied (up 1 point) leaving him a net satisfaction score of -38.
Theresa May remains highly popular amongst her party supporters with nine in ten (89%) Conservatives satisfied with the Prime Minister and just 8% dissatisfied. Jeremy Corbyn however continues to struggle with convincing Labour voters that he is doing a good job with more dissatisfied (50%) in him than those who are satisfied (41%).
Most Britons remain pessimistic over the state of the British economy. Twenty-eight percent believe that it will improve over the next 12 months (up 1 point) while 44% say it will get worse (down 3 points) leaving an Economic Optimism Index score of -16 (up 4 points).
Voting intention figures show the Conservatives maintaining their lead over Labour. The Conservatives currently stand at 40%, compared with Labour at 29%, the Liberal Democrats at 13% and UKIP at 9%.
Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos, said:
“The historical contrasts look good for Theresa May, but much more alarming for Jeremy Corbyn. The Prime Minister is enjoying a better honeymoon at this stage then her two immediate predecessors, David Cameron and Gordon Brown. However, Mr Corbyn’s ratings as a Labour opposition leader almost 18 months in are closer to Michael Foot’s.”
Technical note:
Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,044 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone 10th – 14th February 2017. Data are weighted to the profile of the population.
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