UK
Coronavirus: Fewer than half of Britons believe government is handling outbreak well, new poll finds

Economic optimism hits lowest level since financial crisis as seven in 10 people think economy will get worse over next 12 months

Lizzy Buchan THE INDEPENDENTPolitical Correspondent @LizzyBuchan

Just under half of Britons believe the government is handling the coronavirus outbreak well as economic optimism fell to its lowest level since the financial crisis, a new poll has found.

As the country faces drastic measures to curb the spread of the virus, a survey by Ipsos MORI found 49 per cent said ministers were handling the crisis well, with 35 per cent regarding the government's efforts negatively.

Boris Johnson was regarded as acting well by 47 per cent of voters, compared to 38 per cent who thought he was handling the crisis badly.

The chief medical officer Chris Whitty inspired the most confidence on 52 per cent, with only 14 per cent critical of his efforts.

Two in five voters (39 per cent) said Matt Hancock has been handling the crisis well, while new chancellor Rishi Sunak won plaudits from 41 per cent of voters.

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The poll, which was conducted between 13-16 March, and before some of the latest emergency measures, found seven out of 10 people (69 per cent) think the economy will get worse over the next 12 months – up from 42 per cent in February.

Only 15 per cent think that the economy will improve. The last time pessimism was this low was in November 2008 when 75 per cent thought the economy would get worse.

Young people were more critical of the government’s handling of the outbreak than older people, as just 28 per cent of 18-34s thought the government was handling it well, compared with 70 per cent of over 65s.

Confidence was lower among Labour supporters (30 per cent), public sector workers (35 per cent), and Londoners (38 per cent).

But Budget measures to fight coronavirus have gone down well, with 65 per cent saying it will be helpful in tackling the outbreak. Eight out 10 people (81 per cent) strongly supported the £5bn emergency NHS fund announced by the chancellor.

Over the weekend, half of voters said the measures the Government had taken do not go far enough and more should be done while 42 per cent said the measures the Government had taken are about right.

The poll revealed broad support for cancelling sporting events such as the FA Cup (75 per cent), the rest of the season for Britain’s football leagues (73 per cent), and Wimbledon (71 per cent), while seven in ten (72 per cent) supported postponing the upcoming local elections.

Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: "Britons’ worries about the economic impact of the coronavirus are laid clear with pessimism about the economy at its worst in our trends since the 2008 crash, while women are particularly concerned.

"However at the time of asking around half the public felt the government was handling the crisis well, although half were wanting more to be done, and high levels of support for the Budget’s financial measures suggests that they are looking for the government to take further action to minimise economic damage and restore confidence."

Source note: Ipsos MORI interviewed a representative sample of 1,003 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone 13 – 16 March.

Data are weighted to the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.