Two in five Britons think they are worse off since Labour was elected

A new Ipsos Political Pulse survey, conducted from the 8th – 11th November, reveals the Labour government is facing considerable headwinds in public opinion, despite Conservative support remaining low. 

Labour Party favourability remains low, but Conservatives still trail behind

• Currently, 28% of the public hold a favourable view of Labour (-1 from Oct), compared to 49% who view the party unfavourably (-1). 
• Reform UK has the highest favourability rating of any party, with 27% holding a favourable view of the party (no change) and 46% unfavourable (-3). 
• A quarter (24%) of Britons hold a favourable view of the Conservative party (no change), compared to 49% unfavourable (-3). 
• 22% are favourable towards the Lib Dems (-4), with 33% unfavourable (-1).
• The Green Party stands at 25% favourable (-3), 31% unfavourable (-1).

Labour performance ranked 4 out of 10

• The public was asked to rank the government’s performance, with 10 representing a "very good job" and 0 a "very bad job."  The current Labour government receives a mean performance score of 4 out of 10, up slightly from 3.8 last month.
• Younger respondents (18-34) give the government a higher rating (5.4) compared to older age groups. 
• Labour voters give the government a 5.9 rating, while Conservative voters give a much lower score of 2.7.

Economic Concerns Persist

• A significant majority (56%) believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, compared to just 19% who feel things are on the right track. This results in a net "right direction" score of -37, indicating widespread public pessimism.
• Two in five Britons (41%) say they are worse off since Labour came to power in July 2024. This figure, while significant, is lower than the proportion who reported being worse off under the previous Conservative government. 
• Looking ahead, public optimism remains muted, with only 28% expecting to be better off in one year's time and 21% anticipating improvement in five years.

Keiran Pedley, Director of UK Politics at Ipsos said: 

With more than half saying Britian is moving in the wrong direction and Labour’s favourability ratings not much better than the Conservatives these numbers reiterate the fact Labour’s honeymoon period is well and truly over. That said, although 4 in 10 think they are worse off since Labour came to power, this number is lower than the Conservatives were recording in office. Given we know Labour is more trusted on the economy than the Conservatives at the moment too – with Keir Starmer preferred as Prime Minister to Kemi Badenoch – it isn’t all bad news for the party.

Technical note

• Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,139 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted online between the 8th-11th November 2024. 
• Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.