Politics

81% of Britons say society is divided, rising to 91% of those aged 55-75 and 90% of Reform UK voters.

Over half (57%) of Britons support the introduction of national ID cards, with support highest among Conservative voters and those over 55. Convenience and preventing illegal immigration most popular reasons for support, while concerns around data privacy drive opposition.

While Labour leads as the party seen as most likely to achieve its missions to improve the NHS and break down barriers to opportunity, Reform UK leads on “taking back our streets”, and the Greens on clean energy.

Almost two-thirds (64%) say that the country is going in the wrong direction.

79% of Britons believe crime and anti-social behaviour is a "big problem" in the UK as a whole. This falls to 37% when people speak of their local area.

Manchester Mayor Burnham (35%) beats Starmer (26%), Rayner (23%) and Streeting (19%) among who the public think would be good Labour leader.

Farage (45%) beats Starmer by 19 points among public on being seen as ‘in touch with ordinary people’ – a lead that has grown since January.

Over two in five (43%) Britons think the UK government is doing a bad job at negotiating with the trade unions, nearly double the figure recorded in August 2024.

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.