Ipsos MORI conducted this study on behalf of St Mungo’s to investigate the public’s attitudes towards unemployment, and what they think should be done to help the long-term unemployed back into work.

Key findings 

• The proportion of GB adults concerned about their current financial situation has recovered from 2008’s high levels (from 52% to 37%) 
• However, this has not translated into reduced concern about the threat of redundancy or keeping up with mortgage/rent payments: three in ten workers remain concerned about being made redundant in the next 12 months and 14% are concerned about being forced to leave their home during the next 12 months due to falling behind on their mortgage or rent repayments 
• Half of those in employment believe that their confidence would be seriously affected if they were to lose their job and just over half of those who are unemployed* have experienced this effect on their confidence 
• Two-thirds of employed people are confident they would find a new job within 12 months if they were made redundant, but there is less confidence among the unemployed* 
• Approaching three quarters (72%) believe the Government should give special help to homeless people to get them back into work, and 77% agree that investment in work and skills training for the long-term unemployed would be beneficial to the British economy 
•  The two most popular potential ways for the Government to support the long-term unemployed with getting back into work are: free work and skills training and paid apprenticeships. The next most popular suggestion is reducing benefits if a person is not actively seeking work/stricter control of benefits, suggesting that while the public prioritises enabling measures, penalties also have support

Downloads

• Download the full report (PDF)
• Download the data tables (PDF)
• Download the questionnaire (PDF)

Technical details

The questions were placed on one wave of the Ipsos MORI Capibus, the regular Ipsos MORI survey among the general public.

The research was conducted between 9 and 15 October 2009 (and between 31 October and 6 November in 2008) on behalf of St. Mungo’s.

A nationally representative quota sample of 1,997 adults aged 15 and over were interviewed face-to-face and in-home throughout Great Britain (2,014 were interviewed in 2008).

Data have been weighted to the known population profile of Great Britain.

* Caution: small base size (96), indicative findings only