Economy

The economy/cost of living, NHS waiting times and small boat crossings continue to dominate the public agenda. Despite these being public priorities, the government receives negative net satisfaction ratings across all thirteen milestones tested.

Ipsos Economic Optimism Index worsens to -56, with 68% expecting the economy to get worse over the next 12 months. Immigration remains the biggest issue facing the country, mentioned by 40%.

Ipsos' Economic Optimism Index stands at -44; an improvement from earlier in year, but 60% still think the economy will get worse over the next 12 months and only 16% say it will get better.

Following the Spending Review, Labour has seen a small increase in public trust to manage the economy and continue to be most trusted to improve public services. However, 45% of Britons say the Spending Review left them more concerned about Britain's economy, with nearly 8 in 10 expecting tax hikes within the next year.

As political and economic stakes rise across the UK, Ipsos’ second Beyond the Bubble webinar of the year couldn’t have arrived at a more pivotal time.

Half (51%) of Britons say that Rachel Reeves is doing a bad job as Chancellor (16% good job). These ratings are near identical to Kwasi Kwarteng’s in the aftermath of the September 2022 mini-budget.

The golden rule of reputation? It’s never built in isolation—context is everything, and it’s more turbulent than ever.

Two in five (40%) believe it would be a good thing for Chancellor to break her fiscal rules, if it meant raising more money for higher quality public services. However, they are less supportive of breaking the rules in principle (20%) or if it leads to more borrowing (14%) or higher taxes (15%).

Half (51%) of Britons now think that Britain should prioritise building a closer trade relationship with the EU, even if it means increasing barriers to trade with the United States – up from 42% in March.