British public concerned over cuts

YouGov
June 16, 2010, 12:46 AM GMT+0

The public generally support government measures to cut spending in order to reduce the deficit but worry about the impact cuts may have on them personally, according to recent YouGov research for the Sun newspaper.

Pundits expect the new government’s emergency budget, announced on 22nd June, to contain a variety of measures to reduce spending, with cuts as deep as 20% to some departments. When asked about government measures to cut spending in order to reduce the deficit, 49% of respondents believe that cutting spending is ‘good for the economy’, although there are huge discrepancies in opinion between Conservative and Labour supporters, with 81% of Conservatives approving of spending cuts, and 56% of Labour voters saying that they are ‘bad for the economy’.

Despite overall support for spending cuts, 48% of those surveyed said that the cuts are ‘having an impact on my life’, compared to 26% who claim to be unaffected. When asked who is most to blame for current spending cuts, only 17% of respondents place responsibility with the Coalition government, although, significantly, this figure rises to 40% among Labour voters. It seems that most Brits (48%) believe blame for the current spending cuts lies with the last Labour government, with 88% of Conservatives supporters agreeing, although this attitude falls to a mere 8% among Labour supporters.

Although a sizeable proportion of respondents believe that spending cuts will be ‘good for the economy’, the public remain fearful for the future, with 69% worrying that they will ‘not have enough money to live comfortably’, while 70% are anxious that they will ‘suffer directly from cuts in spending on public services’. Unemployment also remains a concern for the majority, as evidenced by the 64% of respondents who say they are afraid they could lose their job or experience difficulty in finding work.