Brexit and NHS remain the key issues, but the emphasis varies by EU Referendum vote
This month's Issues Index investigates differences in opinion between Remain and Leave voters.
- While Brexit is the top issue facing the country for both Leave and Remain voters, those who voted Remain are significantly more likely to say they are worried about it
- Concern about the NHS is at the lowest level since October 2016 (39%), although it is still in clear second place
- Remain voters are significantly more likely to name Brexit as a big issue facing the country; leave voters feel the same about immigration
The November Ipsos MORI/Economist Issues Index shows little movement in the order of importance assigned to the issues facing Britain. Brexit remains the biggest issue facing the country, with almost half (46%) naming it as a concern. The NHS is still in second on 39%; its importance has fallen slightly compared to earlier in the year.
When considering the single biggest issue facing the country, Brexit is also first, on 31%. The proportion naming the NHS as the principal concern has slipped since last month, so it is now below Immigration as single biggest issue (11% against 9%).
There are also differences by recalled EU Referendum vote, although both sides have the same top two issues of Brexit and the NHS:
- Remain voters are more likely to mention a number of issues such as Brexit (58%), the economy (30%), education (25%), and poverty/inequality (23%).
- For Leave voters there are three key issues – Brexit (47%), the NHS (42%) and immigration (40%). They are four times more likely to mention immigration than Remain voters (10% of whom mention it). They are also significantly more likely to mention defence/terrorism than Remain voters.
Technical note
Ipsos MORI's Issues Index is conducted monthly and provides an overview of the key issues concerning the country. Ipsos MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 999 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. The questions are spontaneous - i.e. respondents are not prompted with any answers.
Ipsos MORI's Capibus vehicle was used for this survey. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in-home between 3 and 14 November 2017 at 195 sampling points across Great Britain. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population.