Two in three Britons do not trust Conservatives to reduce cost of living, majority do not trust Labour either

Few trust either party to reduce cost of living or manage taxes and public spending

New research by Ipsos, taken July 12th-13th, shows a majority of Britons do not trust either the Conservatives or Labour when it comes to managing Britain’s taxes and public spending or reducing the cost of living. However, the Conservatives are less trusted on the cost of living.

On the cost of living

  • 28% trust the Conservatives ‘a great deal’ or ‘fair amount’, 67% do not trust them very much or at all.
  • For Labour, 35% trust the party but 58% do not. 
  • Labour’s lead of 7 points for being trusted is down from 13 points in May but this is because trust in Labour has fallen 7 points. Trust in the Conservatives is down one point.

On taxes and public spending, the Conservatives and Labour are equally not trusted by the public.

  • 35% trust the Conservatives, 61% do not. 35% trust Labour, 60% do not.
  • In May, Labour led by 7 points. Trust in Labour has fallen 6 points since then and trust in the Conservatives has increased by a point.

Keiran Pedley, Director of Politics at Ipsos, said:

If we take a step back, these numbers show that neither party is particularly trusted by the public to deal with either tax and public spending or reducing the cost of living. However, the Conservatives may be concerned that the party is less trusted than Labour on reducing the cost of living, the number one issue for the public right now. All eyes will be on the coming television debates, to see what solutions the leadership candidates propose.

Technical note:

  • Ipsos interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,000 adults aged 18-75 in Great Britain. Interviews took place on the online Omnibus on 12th-13th July 2022. Data has been weighted to the known offline population proportions. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.
     

The author(s)

Related news