Tuesday 26 September 2000
- MORI conducted 210 interviews with businesses with over 200 employees
- Interviews were conducted by telephone between 9 August
and 13 September 2000
- Results are based on all respondents unless otherwise stated
- Data are weighted to the profile of large (200 plus employees) Uk businesses by size, sector and region
- An '*' indicates a finding of less than 0.5%, but greater than zero
- Poll conducted by MORI on behalf of Burson-Marsteller
Q1 Do you think the economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same, or get worse over the next 12 months?
| | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|
| | % | % | % |
|---|
| Improve | 6 | 49 | 27 |
| Stay the same | 22 | 44 | 42 |
| Get worse | 70 | 7 | 31 |
| Don't know | 2 | * | 0 |
Q2 Over the next 12 months, do you think that your organisation's business will improve, stay the same, or get worse?
| | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|
| | % | % | % |
|---|
| Improve | 43 | 73 | 63 |
| Stay the same | 38 | 19 | 20 |
| Get worse | 16 | 6 | 16 |
| Don't know | 3 | * | 1 |
Q3 Thinking about the Government's performance since being elected in 1997, which, if any, business sectors do you think have benefited most from the Government's policies?
Q4 And which, if any, business sectors do you think have benefited least from the Government's policies?
| | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|
| | % | % |
|---|
| Agriculture/Forestry | 0 | 11 |
| Mining/Construction | 7 | 11 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 62 |
| Transport | 2 | 12 |
| Telecomms | 6 | 1 |
| Energy/Utilities | 3 | * |
| Retail | 3 | 10 |
| Financial services | 34 | 2 |
| Professional services | 35 | 2 |
| Biotechnology | 1 | * |
| IT | 14 | 0 |
| Public sector/civil service | * | 1 |
| Importers | 1 | 0 |
| Export industry | 1 | 9 |
| Defence | 0 | 1 |
| Other | 5 | 4 |
| Don't know | 17 | 6 |
| None/nothing | 6 | 0 |
Q5 Thinking about the Government's economic record, what do you think are the two or three best economic decisions the Government has made? Why do you say that?
| | % |
|---|
| Independent Bank of England | 63 |
| Stalling/staying out of euro | 13 |
| Overall management of economy | 11 |
| Keeping expenditure down | 6 |
| Investment in education | 4 |
| Easing Corporation tax | 4 |
| Investment in the health service | 4 |
| Not raising taxes | 3 |
| Investment in infrastructure | 3 |
| Prudent financial targets | 3 |
| Welfare reform | 2 |
| Incentives for small businesses/entrepreneurs | 2 |
| Reducing red tape | 2 |
| Continuing Conservative policies | 2 |
| Support for the euro | 1 |
| Other | 9 |
| None/nothing | 13 |
| Don't know | 8 |
Q6 And what do you think are the two or three worst economic decisions the Government has made? Why do you say that?
| | % |
|---|
| Hidden/stealth taxes | 29 |
| Tax on/price of fuel | 17 |
| Uncertainty/dithering on Europe | 11 |
| Taxing the profit on pension funds | 11 |
| Employment legislation/working time directive/EU legislation | 10 |
| Allowing the pound to stay high | 9 |
| Not joining/committing to euro | 9 |
| Lack of investment in transport | 8 |
| Under-funding of public services/NHS/education | 8 |
| Increase in public expenditure | 8 |
| Red tape/additional regulation | 7 |
| Giving control of interest rates to Bank of England | 4 |
| Encouraging euro participation | 4 |
| Minimum wage/social policies | 3 |
| Millennium Dome | 3 |
| Not helping business/manufacturing | 3 |
| Reducing strength of armed forces | 2 |
| Abolishing Married Couples Tax Allowance | 2 |
| Unstable interest rates | 1 |
| Passing on utilities bill/privatisation | 1 |
| Increasing National Insurance Contributions | 1 |
| Using the competition commission too much | 1 |
| Climate levy | 1 |
| None/nothing | 5 |
| Other | 10 |
| Don't know | 4 |
Q6B If the Labour Government were to win the next General Election, what are the three most important things they need to do to support business and the economy during their second term in office?
| | % |
|---|
| Join the euro/join at the right time | 21 |
| Reduce/reform taxes | 18 |
| Cut red tape/bureaucracy/regulation | 18 |
| Devalue pound | 15 |
| More decisive/clarify position on euro | 15 |
| Control interest rates | 11 |
| More investment/input into manufacturing | 11 |
| Less employment regulation/legislation on labour conditions | 10 |
| Control public spending | 10 |
| Improve infrastructure/transport. roads | 10 |
| Support business enterprise/small businesses | 10 |
| Rule out euro | 10 |
| Reduce cost of fuel | 9 |
| Keep inflation down/stable business environment | 9 |
| Promote research/innovation/education/training | 7 |
| Maintain stability | 5 |
| Investment/changes to NHS | 3 |
| Encourage investment | 2 |
| Firm social policies | 2 |
| Help agriculture and rural areas | 2 |
| Resist market intervention | 2 |
| Continue to have interest rates set by Bank of England | 2 |
| Continue PFI & PPP initiatives | 2 |
| Establish environmental policy | 2 |
| Re-think company pensions | 1 |
| Less support for trade unions | 1 |
| Cut unemployment | 1 |
| Other | 11 |
| Don't know | 3 |
I am going to read out a number of different aspects of the Government's performance. For each, I would like you to tell me whether you think the Government's performance has been good or bad. Is that very or fairly?
Q7 Controlling inflation
| | % |
|---|
| Very good | 33 |
| Fairly good | 55 |
| Neither | 9 |
| Fairly bad | 3 |
| Very bad | 1 |
| Don't know | 0 |
Q8 Economic growth
| | % |
|---|
| Very good | 3 |
| Fairly good | 56 |
| Neither | 23 |
| Fairly bad | 13 |
| Very bad | 5 |
| Don't know | 0 |
Q9 Overall tax management
| | % |
|---|
| Very good | 3 |
| Fairly good | 36 |
| Neither | 12 |
| Fairly bad | 29 |
| Very bad | 19 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q10 Supporting e-commerce
| | % |
|---|
| Very good | 8 |
| Fairly good | 43 |
| Neither | 26 |
| Fairly bad | 14 |
| Very bad | 7 |
| Don't know | 2 |
Q11 Reducing the burden of regulation
| | % |
|---|
| Very good | 0 |
| Fairly good | 7 |
| Neither | 10 |
| Fairly bad | 31 |
| Very bad | 52 |
| Don't know | * |
Q12 Promoting Corporate Responsibility
| | % |
|---|
| Very good | 2 |
| Fairly good | 33 |
| Neither | 30 |
| Fairly bad | 21 |
| Very bad | 9 |
| Don't know | 5 |
Q13 Protecting the City's position as Europe's leading financial centre
| | % |
|---|
| Very good | 6 |
| Fairly good | 34 |
| Neither | 21 |
| Fairly bad | 24 |
| Very bad | 9 |
| Don't know | 6 |
I am going to read out two policies the Government has introduced.
For each, I would like you to tell me whether you think the introduction of the policy has been good or bad for Britain? Is that very or fairly?
Q14 Introduction of the Minimum Wage
| | % |
|---|
| Very good | 10 |
| Fairly good | 43 |
| Neither | 22 |
| Fairly bad | 15 |
| Very bad | 9 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q15 Introduction of the New Deal
| | % |
|---|
| Very good | 1 |
| Fairly good | 24 |
| Neither | 28 |
| Fairly bad | 26 |
| Very bad | 12 |
| Don't know | 9 |
Q16 Have the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry's interventions been good or bad for British business?
| | % |
|---|
| Good for British business | 14 |
| Bad for British business | 57 |
| Don't know | 29 |
Q17 Do you think the recent Comprehensive Spending Review announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer will or will not have an inflationary effect on the economy?
| | % |
|---|
| Will have an inflationary effect on the economy | 73 |
| Will not have an inflationary effect on the economy | 21 |
| Don't know | 6 |
Q18 Do you think it is likely or unlikely that the British Economy will have entered a recession …
| | … in two years time | … in four years time | … in six years time |
|---|
| | % | % | % |
|---|
| Likely | 36 | 48 | 36 |
| Unlikely | 58 | 33 | 28 |
| Don't know | 6 | 19 | 36 |
I'd now like to ask you some questions about Europe.
Q19 Thinking now about your own business, which of the following do you think will be best for your company at the present time - joining the euro as soon as possible, joining the euro after the next General Election, or never joining the euro?
| | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|
| | % | % | % |
|---|
| Joining the euro as soon as possible | 41 | 23 | 27 |
| Joining the euro after the next General Election | 38 | 46 | 34 |
| Never joining the euro | 11 | 21 | 34 |
| Don't know | 10 | 10 | 5 |
Q20 And why do you say that?
Join the euro as soon as possible (56)
| | % |
|---|
| Makes business sense/we trade-unions in the EU | 37 |
| Remove uncertainty in importing/exporting | 34 |
| Would reduce level of pound | 23 |
| Make trade-unions easier | 11 |
| Remove current uncertainty on UK position | 9 |
| Lower inflation | 5 |
| Access to bigger market | 4 |
| It's inevitable | 3 |
| It would be better for Britain's economy | 2 |
| Not joining is preventing inward investment | 2 |
| Other | 8 |
Join the euro after the next general election (70)
| | % |
|---|
| Need time to prepare | 44 |
| Wait until exchange rate/economy is right | 29 |
| It does not affect us | 11 |
| Joining euro is inevitable | 8 |
| We need the political will/decisiveness | 6 |
| Remove uncertainty in importing/exporting | 5 |
| Makes business sense/we trade-unions in the EU | 3 |
| Pound is too high/would reduce level of pound | 3 |
| Public needs to be educated first | 1 |
| Not joining is preventing outside investment | 1 |
| Access to bigger market | 1 |
| Other | 8 |
Never join the euro (71)
| | % |
|---|
| We will not benefit from euro/it will not affect us | 35 |
| Loss of political/financial control | 26 |
| Better for Britain's economy not to join | 15 |
| Loss of independence/sovereignty | 12 |
| We import so strong pound is in our favour | 8 |
| Unfeasible/unworkable system | 7 |
| Increase bureaucracy/legislation | 6 |
| Loss of confidence in British business | 2 |
| Cost of currency conversion | 2 |
| Interest rates would rise | 1 |
| Other | 12 |
Q21 Do you think the Government should support or oppose greater tax harmonisation across the EU?
| | % |
|---|
| Support | 35 |
| Oppose | 61 |
| Don't know | 4 |
Q25 What, if any, leadership qualities do you think Tony Blair has shown during his first term as Prime Minister?
What else?
| | % |
|---|
| Strong leadership | 28 |
| Decisiveness | 13 |
| Good management | 6 |
| Good public speaker | 5 |
| Compassion | 4 |
| Intelligence | 4 |
| Good public image | 3 |
| He's been neutral/pragmatic | 1 |
| A nice man/sense of humour | 1 |
| Supported business | 1 |
| Lacks substance | 4 |
| Too much control/over-powerful | 3 |
| None/no good qualities | 39 |
| Other | 9 |
| Don't know | 3 |