Petrol Crisis

Monday 18 September 2000

• MORI Telephone Surveys interviewed 1,006 British adults aged 18+
• Interviews were conducted by telephone on 14-15 September 2000
• Results are based on all respondents unless otherwise stated
• Data are weighted to the known population profile
• An '*' indicates a finding of less than 0.5%, but greater than zero
• Poll conducted by MORI on behalf of The News of the World

QV1 How would you vote if there were a General Election tomorrow?
(If undecided or refused at AT QV1)

QV2 Which party are you most inclined to support?

(Voting figures based on all naming a party)

Q1 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the Government is running the country?

Q2 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mr Blair is doing his job as Prime Minister?

Q3 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mr Hague is doing his job as leader of the Conservative Party?

Q4 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mr Brown is doing his job as Chancellor of the Exchequer?

Introduction to Q5: Now, some questions about the recent petrol shortages and protests over fuel prices. The protesters have argued that because of the recent rise in world oil prices the government is getting more in petrol tax than it was expecting, and can afford to cut the tax. The government say that if they cut taxes they would have to reduce spending on public services, and that the petrol tax is good for the environment because it encourages people to use their cars less.

Q5 Do you think the government should or should not reduce the current level of taxes on petrol?

Q6 Do you think that the farmers and others who blockaded oil refineries to protest against the high price of petrol were right or wrong to take direct action in this way?

Q7-11 How much do you blame each of the following for the recent petrol shortages? Do you blame them a great deal, a fair amount, not very much or not at all?

Q7 The government

Q8 The petrol companies

Q9 The oil producing countries

Q10 The protesters who blockaded the oil refineries

Q11 Panic-buyers of petrol

Q12 As far as you know, roughly speaking, how many pence in each pound paid for petrol in Britain do you think goes to the government in taxes? (IF NECESSARY ADD It doesn't matter if you don't know exactly, we are just interested to know what your rough guess would be.)

Q13 Overall, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mr Blair has handled the issue of fuel prices and petrol shortages?

Q14 How badly would you say has your own life been affected, if at all, by the petrol strike so far? Has it been affected …?

Q15 If the fuel shortages were to continue so long as to be a real threat to the delivery of food to the shops, do you think the government would be right or wrong to use the armed forces to force through fuel deliveries?

Q16 On a different subject. The Millennium Commission has decided to spend £90 million to keep the Millennium Dome open until the end of the year, to enable creditors to be paid and to keep the 2,000 staff in their jobs. Do you think they were right to do this, or should they have closed the Dome now?

Q17 Finally, as you probably know, the Siamese twins Mary and Jodie will both die unless Mary is killed to save Jodie's life. The twins' parents oppose the killing of Mary to save Jodie, but the Courts are now considering over-ruling them. If you had to choose, do you think the Courts should decide to … ?