New Poll finds growing pessimism among the British
public.
Oli Scarff /
Getty
The public are increasingly pessimistic about the
future according to an exclusive new poll for Business
Insider.
Around half of the country believes the UK is "heading
in the wrong direction" with just a third saying the
opposite.
Half of all women say they are financially worse off
than they were before the start of the Brexit process.
The squeeze on living standards and pessimism about
Brexit blamed for the slump.
LONDON —The British people increasingly believe the country is
heading in the wrong direction as the country moves towards
Brexit, according to an exclusive new tracker poll for Business
Insider.
The D-CYFOR poll commissioned by Britain Elects, found that 50%
of the public now believe "The UK is going in the wrong
direction," up from just 43% in November.
By contrast just 30% believe Britain is now going in the right
direction, down from 35% in November.
"Would you say things in the UK are heading in the
right direction or are they going in the wrong direction?"
(changes vs November 2017)
(50%) (+7) The UK is going in the wrong direction
(30%) (-5) The UK is going in the right direction
(21%) (-1) Don’t know
Women are the most pessimistic, with 53% saying the country is on
the wrong course, compared to 47% of men. Just 37% men and 23% of
women think the country is going in the right direction.
Britain feeling the pinch
The poll also found that almost half the public now feel worse
off than they did before the start of the Brexit process.
44% say they are financially worse off than this time last year,
compared to just 22% who say they are better off.
Women are the most likely to say they feel worse off, with almost
half saying their finances are in worse shape.
Are you worse off financially than you were a year
ago?
(44%) I am worse off financially than I was a year ago
(35%) I have experienced no financial change in the last year
(21%) I am better off financially than I was a year ago
Are you worse off financially than you were a year ago?
(Male/Female)
(39%)M (49%)F I am worse off financially than I was a year ago
(39%)M (32%)F I have experienced no financial change in the
last year
(22%)M (19%)F I am better off financially than I was a year ago
Rising inflation and stagnating wages are causing many British
people to feel out of pocket, according to one leading economist.
"These findings reflect the fact that Britain experienced a
renewed pay squeeze in 2017 as the rising cost of living
outstripped earnings growth. It’s this pay packet pain that is
likely to be driving wider pessimism about the
economy," Resolution Foundation Chief Economist Matt
Whittaker told Business Insider.
"The good news is that the squeeze is set to ease in 2018. The
bad news is that we’re still likely to fall short of a decent pay
recovery."
However, others blame pessimism over Brexit. Former Liberal
Democrat leader and member of the Best for Britain campaign
group, Tim Farron, told BI that the slump was down to the
government's failure on the issue.
"The Government failure to deal with leaving the European Union
whilst running the country is resulting in hard working ordinary
people feeling poorer than they were this time last year," Farron
said.
"The Government failure to deal with leaving the European Union
whilst running the country is resulting in hard working ordinary
people feeling poorer than they were this time last year,
"During the Second World War, the Government were able to get
through substantial education reforms, and put in place the plans
for the NHS and the welfare state. Today’s government only
appears to be able to do one thing at a time, and the one thing
it’s doing - it’s doing badly."
Ben Walker, co-founder of Britain Elects, said the findings
suggested the government should be doing worse in the polls than
they currently are.
"With much of the public feeling poorer and only 30% saying
Britain is going in the right direction, it's a wonder how the
Conservatives are not suffering more than they already are in the
voting intentions, what with being only one point behind," he
said.
He added that the findings suggested their could be a shift in
future against Brexit.
"This economic and national pessimism may in the future bode ill
for Brexit prospects, or even not at all. Current financial
uncertainty could prompt voters to either turn against the Brexit
leap or to ponder "what will change?" when Britain actually does
leave."
The poll was carried out online by D-CYFOR between the 19th-20th
January among a representative sample of 1015 UK adults. D-CYFOR
is a member of the British Polling Council.
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