Poll Archive
The Times Poll - February 2010
Fieldwork: February 5th 2010 - February 7th 2010
published by The Times
Change since previous Times poll (January 6th-8th 2010) shown in brackets
| Labour | 30% (+2%) |
|---|---|
| Conservative | 40% (-1%) |
| Lib Dem | 20% (+1%) |
| Others | 10% (-2%) |
The 10% for ‘Others' breaks down as:
| UKIP | 2% |
|---|---|
| Green | 4% |
| BNP | 1% |
| SNP | 2% |
I'd like to ask how optimistic or pessimistic you are about Britain's economy. Thinking about all the things that may affect the economy - such as changes in salaries and wages, the level of interest rates and tax, the rates of inflation and unemployment, and the strength of the pound – how do you think the British economy will fare over the next year a) for the country as a whole, b) for you and your family
| Mar 04 | Nov 04 | Apr 05 | Nov 05 | Mar 07 | Sep 07 | Apr 08 | Jul 08 | Nov 08 | Jan 09 | Feb 09 | Mar 09 | Jun 09 | Jul 09 | Nov 09 | Dec 09 | Feb 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country as a whole - Well | 64% | 64% | 77% | 64% | 56% | 53% | 39% | 22% | 31% | 18% | 20% | 20% | 32% | 25% | 33% | 35% | 37% |
| Country as a whole - Badly | 29% | 28% | 19% | 28% | 36% | 45% | 59% | 77% | 66% | 79% | 77% | 78% | 63% | 73% | 64% | 62% | 58% |
| Country as a Whole: Net | +35% | +36% | +58% | +36% | +20% | +8% | -20% | -55% | -35% | -61% | -57% | -58% | -31% | -48% | -31% | -27% | -21% |
| Me & Family - Well | 63% | 63% | 75% | 63% | 60% | 61% | 50% | 32% | 51% | 46% | 49% | 47% | 46% | 46% | 50% | 49% | 51% |
| Me & Family - Badly | 31% | 28% | 19% | 28% | 34% | 34% | 47% | 66% | 44% | 50% | 48% | 51% | 50% | 52% | 46% | 47% | 45% |
| Me & Family: Net | +32% | +35% | +56% | +35% | +26% | +27% | +3% | -34% | +7% | -4% | +1% | -4% | -4% | -6% | +4% | +2% | +6% |
The next general election, for Westminster MPs, has to take place by June this year. Which of the following do you think is the most likely result at the next general election?
[Change since January shown in brackets]
| Apr-09 | May-09 | Jul-09 | Sep-09 | Oct-09 | Nov-09 | Dec-09 | Jan-10 | Feb-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Conservative majority | 16% | 14% | 14% | 17% | 14% | 14% | 12% | 9% | 7% |
| Small Conservative majority | 39% | 37% | 37% | 40% | 43% | 36% | 35% | 37% | 36% |
| Hung Parliament - Conservatives largest party | 12% | 13% | 15% | 12% | 11% | 15% | 13% | 13% | 20% |
| Hung Parliament - Labour largest party | 7% | 10% | 10% | 8% | 6% | 11% | 9% | 9% | 13% |
| Small Labour majority | 14% | 9% | 10% | 11% | 12% | 11% | 14% | 15% | 13% |
| Big Labour majority | 4% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 3% |
| Apr-09 | May-09 | Jul-09 | Sep-09 | Oct-09 | Nov-09 | Dec-09 | Jan-10 | Feb-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative majority | 55% | 51% | 51% | 57% | 57% | 50% | 47% | 46% | 43% |
| Hung Parliament | 19% | 23% | 25% | 20% | 17% | 26% | 22% | 22% | 33% |
| Labour majority | 18% | 14% | 15% | 17% | 16% | 16% | 19% | 19% | 16% |
| Don't know | 8% | 12% | 9% | 6% | 10% | 8% | 12% | 14% | 9% |
| Apr-09 | May-09 | Jul-09 | Sep-09 | Oct-09 | Nov-09 | Dec-09 | Jan-10 | Feb-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservatives largest party | 67% | 64% | 66% | 69% | 68% | 65% | 60% | 59% | 63% |
| Labour largest party | 25% | 24% | 25% | 25% | 22% | 27% | 28% | 28% | 29% |
| Don't know | 8% | 12% | 9% | 6% | 10% | 8% | 12% | 14% | 9% |
With Britain's economy facing problems in the months or years ahead, who do you most trust to deal with it in the best interests of Britain?
| Aug-07 | Sep-07 | Oct-07 | Feb-08 | Mar-08 | May-08 | Sep-08 | Oct-08 | Nov-08 | Dec-08 | Jan-09 | Mar-09 | Jun-09 | Oct-09 | Dec-09 | Jan-10 | Feb-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown & Darling | 61% | 56% | 43% | 38% | 43% | 30% | 31% | 36% | 38% | 40% | 38% | 33% | 27% | 28% | 32% | 30% | 32% |
| Cameron & Osborne | 27% | 18% | 28% | 34% | 40% | 40% | 38% | 33% | 35% | 31% | 35% | 37% | 39% | 41% | 46% | 43% | 39% |
| Neither/Don't know | 12% | 26% | 29% | 28% | 17% | 30% | 31% | 31% | 27% | 29% | 27% | 30% | 34% | 31% | 22% | 28% | 29% |
| Brown & Darling lead | 34% | 38% | 15% | 4% | 3% | -10% | -7% | 3% | 3% | 9% | 3% | -4% | -12% | -13% | -14% | -13% | -7% |
I am going to read out some pairs of statements. Please say in each case which one is closest to your view, even if neither phrase exactly represents your view.
| All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | Lab | Con | LD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britain's best years are behind us | 45% | 49% | 42% | 50% | 40% | 49% | 44% | 29% | 49% | 45% |
| Britain's best years are still to come | 50% | 47% | 53% | 45% | 54% | 49% | 52% | 64% | 47% | 53% |
| Net 'best years are behind us' | -5% | 2% | -11% | 5% | -14% | 0% | -8% | -35% | 2% | -8% |
| All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | Lab | Con | LD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I was happier 10 years ago | 46% | 48% | 44% | 38% | 41% | 50% | 59% | 35% | 48% | 44% |
| I am happier now | 48% | 45% | 50% | 57% | 53% | 44% | 33% | 59% | 47% | 51% |
| Net 'happier 10 years ago' | -2% | 3% | -6% | -19% | -12% | 6% | 26% | -24% | 1% | -7% |
| All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | Lab | Con | LD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I look forward to the future with anxiety | 38% | 39% | 38% | 39% | 32% | 43% | 43% | 25% | 43% | 35% |
| I look forward to the future with optimism | 60% | 60% | 61% | 60% | 67% | 56% | 54% | 75% | 56% | 65% |
| Net 'look forward with anxiety' | -22% | -21% | -23% | -21% | -35% | -13% | -11% | -50% | -13% | -30% |
| All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | Lab | Con | LD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My children's life will be worse than mine | 37% | 35% | 39% | 33% | 39% | 38% | 39% | 26% | 42% | 37% |
| My children's life will be better than mine | 55% | 57% | 52% | 58% | 54% | 57% | 50% | 69% | 49% | 55% |
| Net 'children's life worse' | -18% | -22% | -13% | -25% | -15% | -19% | -11% | -43% | -7% | -18% |
| All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | Lab | Con | LD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britain is going off in the wrong direction | 64% | 64% | 63% | 65% | 64% | 65% | 62% | 35% | 74% | 64% |
| Britain is on the right track | 31% | 33% | 29% | 32% | 31% | 24% | 35% | 61% | 22% | 32% |
| Net 'wrong direction' | 33% | 31% | 34% | 33% | 33% | 41% | 27% | -26% | 52% | 32% |
Please say whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements
| % agreeing | All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | Lab | Con | LD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| It is time for a change | 82% | 76% | 86% | 82% | 80% | 87% | 79% | 58% | 94% | 74% |
| I would emigrate to another country if I could | 42% | 42% | 41% | 45% | 41% | 45% | 36% | 34% | 38% | 50% |
| People who play by the rules always get a raw deal | 68% | 66% | 69% | 65% | 64% | 73% | 70% | 54% | 71% | 72% |
| Society is broken in Britain | 70% | 63% | 76% | 66% | 73% | 74% | 69% | 54% | 76% | 66% |
| Politics is broken in Britain | 73% | 71% | 75% | 78% | 70% | 78% | 67% | 61% | 74% | 67% |
| There are far fewer people in public life that I admire than there used to be | 77% | 75% | 79% | 77% | 80% | 76% | 75% | 69% | 81% | 79% |
| I hardly recognise the country I'm living in anymore | 56% | 50% | 62% | 50% | 54% | 61% | 62% | 39% | 61% | 58% |
| Net agreement | All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | Lab | Con | LD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| It is time for a change | 66% | 55% | 75% | 66% | 62% | 77% | 60% | 18% | 89% | 49% |
| I would emigrate to another country if I could | -15% | -16% | -16% | -9% | -16% | -8% | -28% | -32% | -22% | 0% |
| People who play by the rules always get a raw deal | 38% | 34% | 41% | 31% | 29% | 49% | 45% | 10% | 44% | 44% |
| Society is broken in Britain | 42% | 27% | 54% | 33% | 46% | 49% | 41% | 9% | 53% | 33% |
| Politics is broken in Britain | 48% | 42% | 54% | 57% | 41% | 58% | 39% | 25% | 50% | 35% |
| There are far fewer people in public life that I admire than there used to be | 57% | 53% | 60% | 55% | 63% | 55% | 54% | 43% | 65% | 59% |
| I hardly recognise the country I'm living in anymore | 13% | 0% | 25% | 0% | 9% | 22% | 24% | -21% | 22% | 16% |
I'd like to find out how satisfied or dissatisfied you are with various specific aspects of life in Britain. Answering on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means very dissatisfied indeed and 10 means very satisfied indeed, what is your overall view of each of the following?
| Average score (0-10 scale) | All |
|---|---|
| The NHS | 6.51 |
| Schools | 6.31 |
| The police | 5.96 |
| The service you get from companies that provide the services you use | 5.47 |
| How well local government does its job | 4.91 |
| The way elderly people are treated | 4.51 |
| The way poor people are treated | 4.43 |
| How well national government does its job | 4.42 |
| The political system as a whole | 4.32 |
How widespread do you think the abuse is by MPs of their system of expenses and allowances?
(Change since April 2009 shown in brackets)
| All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | Lab | Con | LD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All or nearly all MPs do it | 27% (-) | 28% (+2%) | 27% (-1%) | 23% (+5%) | 29% (+4%) | 31% (+2%) | 29% (-6%) | 22% (-2%) | 23% (-7%) | 27% (+9%) |
| A majority of MPs do it, but many do not | 38% (-4%) | 38% (-6%) | 38% (-2%) | 40% (-2%) | 38% (-5%) | 41% (-1%) | 31% (-9%) | 44% (+7%) | 44% (+2%) | 29% (-17%) |
| A majority of MPs do not do it, but many do | 23% (+3%) | 23% (+3%) | 22% (+3%) | 25% (-2%) | 25% (+5%) | 19% (+3%) | 21% (+7%) | 25% (+1%) | 24% (+2%) | 28% (+2%) |
| Very few MPs do it | 10% (+2%) | 10% (+4%) | 11% (+1%) | 11% (+2%) | 7% (-4%) | 10% (+5%) | 16% (+11%) | 7% (-4%) | 8% (+3%) | 7% (+2%) |
Do you think that your local constituency MP abuses the system of Parliamentary expenses and allowances?
(Change since April 2009 shown in brackets)
| All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | Lab | Con | LD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 46% (+12%) | 49% (+12%) | 43% (+12%) | 44% (+15%) | 45% (+13%) | 49% (+8%) | 45% (+9%) | 46% (+12%) | 40% (+7%) | 41% (+12%) |
| No | 42% (+4%) | 40% (+1%) | 44% (+6%) | 43% (-4%) | 43% (+3%) | 39% (+8%) | 43% (+10%) | 49% (+6%) | 50% (+9%) | 51% (+7%) |
| Don't know | 12% (-16%) | 11% (-13%) | 13% (-18%) | 13% (-11%) | 12% (-16%) | 12% (-15%) | 12% (-19%) | 6% (-17%) | 10% (-16%) | 9% (-18%) |
| Net ‘YES' | +4% (+8%) | +9% (+11%) | -1% (+6%) | +1% (+19%) | +2% (+10%) | +10% (0%) | +2% (-1%) | -3% (+6%) | -10% (-2%) | -10% (+5%) |
A report was published this week listing all of the MPs who have been required to repay money they had claimed in expenses and allowances. If your own MP, in the constituency where you live, was among those required to repay money, would you vote against them purely on those grounds and regardless of the party you support, or would you take other issues, such as party policies and the qualities of other candidates into account in deciding how to vote?
| All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | Lab | Con | LD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Would vote against them purely on those grounds | 32% | 29% | 35% | 26% | 27% | 37% | 39% | 26% | 28% | 38% |
| Would take other factors into account in deciding how to vote | 63% | 65% | 61% | 71% | 69% | 55% | 54% | 72% | 69% | 60% |
| Net 'would vote against them purely on those grounds' | -31% | 36% | -26% | -45% | -42% | -18% | -15% | -46% | -41% | -22% |
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