Sunday 10 December 2000
Post-Budget Statement Poll - Final Weighted Results
- MORI interviewed 1,002 Saga Magazine readers by telephone (600 subscribers, 402 non-subscribers)
- Interviews were conducted by telephone on 10-16 November 2000
- Results are based on all respondents unless otherwise stated
- Data are weighted to known readership profile.
- An '*' indicates a finding of less than 0.5%, but greater than zero
- Poll conducted by MORI on behalf of Saga Magazine
Q1 How would you vote if there were a General Election tomorrow?
(If undecided or refused at Q1)
Q2 Which party are you most inclined to support?
| | % |
|---|
| Conservative | 54 |
| Labour | 29 |
| Liberal Democrats | 14 |
| Scottish/Welsh Nationalist | 1 |
| Green Party | * |
| Democratic/UKIP/Referendum Party | * |
| Other | 1 |
| |
| Would not vote | 5 |
| Undecided | 9 |
| Refused | 8 |
Q3 How likely are you to get along to vote at the next General Election … ?
| | % |
|---|
| Certain to vote | 70 |
| Very likely to vote | 20 |
| Quite likely to vote | 4 |
| Not very likely to vote | 2 |
| Certain not to vote | 3 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q4 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the Government is running the country?
Q5 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Mr Blair is doing his job as Prime Minister?
| | Satisfied | Dissatisfied | Don't know | Index |
|---|
| | % | % | % | ± |
|---|
| Government | 26 | 64 | 10 | -38 |
| Blair | 32 | 60 | 8 | -28 |
Q6 Do you think that the general economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same, or get worse over the next 12 months?
| | % |
|---|
| Improve | 24 |
| Stay the same | 39 |
| Get worse | 25 |
| Don't know | 12 |
Q7 Thinking about the recent demonstrations against the high price of petrol, do you support or oppose the direct action taken by the protestors?
| | % |
|---|
| Support | 58 |
| Oppose | 32 |
| Neither | 8 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Budget Questions
QB1 Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Gordon Brown is doing his job as Chancellor of the Exchequer?
| | % |
|---|
| Satisfied | 45 |
| Dissatisfied | 46 |
| Don't know | 9 |
QB2 On balance, do you agree or disagree with the statement that "in the long term, this Government's policies will improve the state of Britain's economy"?
| | % |
|---|
| Agree | 38 |
| Disagree | 47 |
| Don't know | 15 |
QB3 Since it was elected in May 1997, do you think that the Government has done a good job or a bad job at …
| … managing the economy? | % |
|---|
| Good job | 54 |
| Bad job | 32 |
| Don't know | 14 |
| |
| … handling taxation and public expenditure? | % |
|---|
| Good job | 31 |
| Bad job | 57 |
| Don't know | 12 |
| |
| … keeping unemployment down? | % |
|---|
| Good job | 68 |
| Bad job | 17 |
| Don't know | 15 |
QB4 Do you think the Chancellor, Gordon Brown's, pre-budget statement proposals are a good thing or a bad thing …
| … for you personally? | % |
|---|
| Good job | 52 |
| Bad job | 26 |
| Don't know | 22 |
| |
| … for older people generally? | % |
|---|
| Good job | 63 |
| Bad job | 26 |
| Don't know | 11 |
| |
| … for the country as a whole? | % |
|---|
| Good job | 50 |
| Bad job | 29 |
| Don't know | 20 |
QB5 Has the pre-budget statement made you more or less likely to vote Labour at the next General Election, or has it made no difference?
| | % |
|---|
| More likely | 5 |
| Less likely | 17 |
| Made no difference | 74 |
| Don't know | 4 |
QB6 I am going to read out three different suggestions for improving pensions for older people.
Which of the three do you think is the most important?
| | % |
|---|
| Raising the income level at which pensioners start paying tax | 20 |
| Linking pensions to average earnings, rather than to price increases as at present | 56 |
| Increasing the basic state pension by combining it with other benefits, e.g. winter fuel allowance and TV licence, into one payment | 20 |
| Other | 1 |
| Don't know | 2 |
| None | 1 |
QB7 The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, announced on Wednesday that pensions for single people would be increased by £5 per week.
Do you think this is too much, too little or about the right amount?
QB8 Pensions for couple will be increased by £8 per week.
Do you think this is too much, too little or about the right amount?
| | QB7 | QB8 |
|---|
| | % | % |
|---|
| Too much | 1 | 1 |
| Too little | 59 | 61 |
| About the right amount | 37 | 35 |
| Don't know | 3 | 3 |
QB9 By how much do you think the Chancellor should have increased the weekly pension for single people?
| | % |
|---|
| £5-10 | 50 |
| £11-15 | 9 |
| £16-20 | 10 |
| £21-30 | 5 |
| £31+ | 3 |
| Don't know | 21 |
| None | 2 |
| Mean | £14.26 |
QB10 By how much do you think the Chancellor should have increased the weekly pension for couples?
| | % |
|---|
| £8-10 | 12 |
| £11-15 | 22 |
| £16-20 | 26 |
| £21-30 | 9 |
| £31+ | 11 |
| Don't know | 17 |
| None | 2 |
| Mean | £21.46 |
QB11 Thinking now about pensioners' incomes, what do you think the government should do?
| | % |
|---|
| Increase the level of pensions and other government benefits for older people by the same amount for everyon | 55 |
| Target increases in pensions and other government benefits for older people on those on lower incomes | 41 |
| Don't know | 5 |
QB12 The government recently announced that it would be giving all British Second World War veterans who were imprisoned by the Japanese, or their widows, £10,000 tax free compensation.
Were you aware of this, before this interview?
| | % |
|---|
| Yes, was aware | 83 |
| No, was not aware | 17 |
| Don't know | * |
QB13 Do you think this is too much, too little, or about the right amount?
| | % |
|---|
| Too much | 3 |
| Too little | 39 |
| About the right amount | 48 |
| Don't know | 10 |
QB14 Thinking now about the current debate over fuel prices, which of these comes closest to your view about what should happen?
| | % |
|---|
| Increase the duty on fuel, as proposed by environmental campaigners | 5 |
| Freeze the duty on fuel, as proposed by Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer | 27 |
| Reduce the duty on fuel, as proposed by fuel price campaigners | 63 |
| Don't know | 5 |
Q15 Which party did you vote for at the last General Election in May 1997?
If you are not sure, or did not vote, please say so?
| | % |
|---|
| Conservative | 41 |
| Labour | 29 |
| Liberal Democrat | 12 |
| Scottish/Welsh Nationalist | 1 |
| Referendum Party | * |
| Green | * |
| Other | 2 |
| |
| Did not vote | 6 |
| Can't remember | 3 |
| Refused | 5 |
Q16 Which party did you vote for at the previous General Election in April 1992?
If you are not sure, or did not vote, please say so?
| | % |
|---|
| Conservative | 52 |
| Labour | 19 |
| Liberal Democrat | 11 |
| Scottish/Welsh Nationalist | 1 |
| Referendum Party | * |
| Green | * |
| Other | 1 |
| |
| Did not vote | 4 |
| Can't remember | 6 |
| Refused | 5 |