Poll Archive

Budget Poll

Fieldwork: March 12th 2008

published by The Times

Click here to download detailed results 111k

If Britain's economy were to face problems in the months or years ahead, who would you most trust to deal with it in the best interests of Britain, David Cameron & the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, or Gordon Brown & the Chancellor of the Exchequer Alastair Darling? [Change since last asked, on February 20th-21st, shown in brackets]

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Con	Lab	LD
Brown & Darling	43% (+5%)	43% (+2%)	43% (+8%)	43% (-3%)	47% (+12%)	37% (-3%)	43% (+6%)	14%	84%	46%
Cameron & Osborne	40% (+6%)	45% (+12%)	35% (+1%)	46% (+10%)	40% (+6%)	36% (+3%)	35% (+3%)	76%	7%	34%
Neither / Don't know	17% (-9%)	12% (-13%)	21% (-8%)	11% (-11%)	13% (-17%)	27% (-2%)	21% (-10%)	10%	9%	19%
Net Brown & Darling	+3% (-1%)	-2% (-10%)	+8% (+7%)	-3% (-7%)	+7% (+6%)	+1% (-6%)	+8% (+3%)	-62%	+77%	+12%

	5-7 Sep	17-Sep	5-7 Oct	21-Nov	1-3 February	20-21 February	12 March
Brown & Darling	61%	56%	43%	28%	33%	38%	43%
Cameron & Osborne	27%	18%	28%	34%	36%	34%	40%
Neither / Don't know	12%	26%	29%	37%	28%	26%	17%
Net Brown & Darling	+34%	+38%	+15%	-6%	-3%	+4%	+3%

From what you have seen and heard about the measures announced in the Budget today, will it mean that you pay more tax than before, less tax than before, or will it not make any real difference either way?

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Less tax than before	4%	6%	2%	4%	3%	5%	4%	2%	8%	7%
More tax than before	38%	43%	33%	40%	42%	44%	25%	48%	24%	45%
No real difference	46%	43%	48%	41%	42%	39%	60%	57%	41%	42%
Net 'more tax than before'	34%	37%	31%	36%	39%	39%	21%	46%	16%	38%

From what you have seen and heard about the measures announced in the Budget today, will it be good for British businesses or bad for British businesses, or make no real difference either way?

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Good for businesses	9%	8%	9%	6%	11%	4%	13%	15%	4%	5%
Bad for businesses	26%	26%	25%	23%	18%	42%	23%	17%	49%	29%
No real difference	44%	51%	38%	48%	45%	39%	43%	50%	27%	47%
Net 'bad for businesses'	17%	18%	16%	17%	7%	38%	10%	2%	45%	24%

From what you have seen and heard about the measures announced in the Budget today, will it reduce the risk of a recession in Britain, or increase the risk of a recession in Britain, or make no real difference either way?

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Reduce risk of recession	6%	8%	5%	9%	2%	8%	7%	11%	2%	8%
Increase risk of recession	23%	25%	22%	20%	22%	30%	23%	14%	29%	14%
No real difference	54%	55%	54%	54%	58%	48%	55%	62%	55%	64%
Net 'increase risk of recession'	17%	17%	17%	11%	20%	22%	16%	3%	27%	6%

From what you have seen and heard about the measures announced in the Budget today, overall will you be better off, or worse off, or about the same as before?

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Better off	5%	3%	6%	4%	3%	2%	10%	6%	1%	3%
Worse off	42%	50%	36%	42%	43%	52%	33%	33%	57%	43%
No real difference	45%	42%	48%	46%	46%	41%	47%	52%	38%	49%
Net 'worse off'	37%	47%	30%	38%	40%	50%	23%	27%	56%	40%

If the Conservatives were in government now, would their Budget have been better than Labour's, worse than Labour's, or about the same – in terms of its effect on the following?

	Better than Labour	Worse than Labour	No different	Net 'better than Labour'
The wealthiest people in Britain	36%	9%	44%	27%
The poorest people in Britain	18%	34%	40%	-16%
Big business	33%	8%	46%	25%
Small & medium sized businesses	21%	23%	43%	-2%
Motorists	17%	26%	45%	-9%
People like you	19%	27%	46%	-8%
Tackling climate change	17%	12%	57%	5%

Net 'better than Labour'	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
The wealthiest people in Britain	27%	31%	23%	26%	27%	28%	25%	23%	25%	42%
The poorest people in Britain	-16%	-23%	-11%	-14%	-17%	-19%	-17%	-33%	24%	-33%
Big business	25%	27%	24%	36%	11%	32%	25%	19%	38%	26%
Small &medium sized businesses	-2%	3%	-6%	14%	-5%	-10%	-10%	-23%	28%	-9%
Motorists	-9%	-9%	-10%	-2%	-4%	-18%	-16%	-26%	7%	-1%
People like you	-8%	-8%	-9%	0%	-9%	-13%	-12%	-49%	33%	-14%
Tackling climate change	5%	2%	7%	6%	7%	3%	1%	-19%	29%	-9%

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

	Agree	Disagree	Net agree
Britain was better off with Tony Blair as Prime Minister and Gordon Brown as Chancellor than we are now with Gordon Brown as Prime Minister and Alistair Darling as Chancellor	48%	38%	+10%
Whoever is in government it always seems that when the Budget comes they give with one hand and take back with the other	93%	6%	+87%
I don't pay much attention to the debate about the Budget because you can't believe anything any of the parties say when it comes to tax, public spending and economic statistics	65%	34%	+31%
Britain's economic position and prospects is affected much more by the condition of the global economy than by anything that the Chancellor of the Exchequer does	66%	27%	+39%

Britain was better off with Tony Blair as Prime Minister & Gordon Brown as Chancellor than we are now, with Gordon Brown as Prime Minister & Alistair Darling as Chancellor.

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Agree	48%	53%	43%	49%	46%	57%	41%	53%	49%	47%
Disagree	38%	34%	43%	40%	39%	33%	40%	37%	39%	41%
Net agree	10%	19%	0%	9%	7%	24%	1%	16%	10%	6%

Whoever is in government it always seems that when the Budget comes they give with one hand and take back with the other.

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Agree	93%	94%	92%	92%	95%	89%	95%	90%	98%	94%
Disagree	6%	6%	6%	8%	4%	8%	4%	10%	2%	6%
Net agree	87%	88%	86%	84%	91%	81%	91%	80%	96%	88%

I don't pay much attention to the debate about the Budget because you can't believe anything any of the parties say when it comes to tax, public spending and economic statistics.

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Agree	65%	59%	70%	56%	59%	72%	75%	52%	66%	55%
Disagree	34%	41%	27%	44%	39%	27%	23%	47%	33%	43%
Net agree	31%	18%	43%	12%	20%	45%	52%	5%	33%	12%

Britain's economic position and prospects is affected much more by the condition of the global economy than by anything that the Chancellor of the Exchequer does.

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Agree	66%	70%	63%	78%	63%	65%	58%	70%	67%	61%
Disagree	27%	26%	27%	20%	28%	30%	30%	23%	24%	36%
Net agree	39%	44%	36%	58%	35%	35%	28%	47%	43%	25%

Do you agree or disagree with each of the following, which were features of today's Budget?

	Agree	Disagree	Net agree
Big increases on the duty levied on beer, wine and spirits	55%	39%	16%
A big increase in the vehicle excise duty levied on large, so-called 'gas-guzzling, cars	68%	28%	40%
The general principle that if taxes needed to rise, increasing duty on alcohol and on gas-guzzling cars was the best way to do it	51%	44%	7%
The decision to increase these taxes in order to fund increases in child benefit and the winter fuel allowance for over-60s	71%	24%	47%

Big increases on the duty levied on beer, wine and spirits

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Agree	55%	50%	61%	61%	56%	44%	59%	64%	54%	58%
Disagree	39%	47%	32%	35%	41%	47%	34%	33%	43%	38%
Net agree	16%	3%	29%	26%	15%	-3%	25%	31%	11%	20%

A big increase in the vehicle excise duty levied on large, so-called ‘gas-guzzling, cars

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Agree	68%	70%	66%	75%	69%	57%	69%	78%	62%	77%
Disagree	28%	29%	27%	23%	26%	39%	26%	36%	22%	22%
Net agree	40%	41%	39%	52%	43%	18%	43%	42%	40%	55%

The general principle that if taxes needed to rise, increasing duty on alcohol and on gas-guzzling cars was the best way to do it

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Agree	51%	53%	50%	54%	49%	41%	60%	65%	47%	55%
Disagree	44%	44%	44%	43%	45%	55%	36%	34%	50%	38%
Net agree	7%	9%	6%	11%	4%	-14%	24%	31%	-3%	17%

The decision to increase these taxes in order to fund increases in child benefit and the winter fuel allowance for over-60s

	All	Men	Women	AB	C1	C2	DE	Lab	Con	LD
Agree	71%	72%	70%	78%	70%	64%	70%	83%	66%	84%
Disagree	24%	23%	25%	19%	25%	30%	24%	15%	30%	14%
Net agree	47%	49%	45%	59%	45%	34%	46%	68%	36%	70%

Populus interviewed a random sample of 596 adults aged 18+ by telephone on 12th March 2008. Interviews were conducted across England and the results have been weighted to be representative of all English adults. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. For a full description of the methods we use, please click here.

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