‘Government doesn’t understand the financial pressures we face’ say large majority of families

Almost 7 in 10 Britons think the government does not understand the financial strain they are under, suggests a poll conducted for the Resolution Foundation.

Asked to respond to the statement that “The government understands the financial pressures on me and my family”, an overall 69 per cent of those surveyed disagree (with 48 per cent strongly disagreeing and 22 per cent tending to disagree).

Strikingly, this is an opinion broadly shared across all income and class brackets in the poll conducted by Ipsos MORI and released by the independent think tank as part of its examination of Squeezed Britain.

The poll shows that while 74 per cent of people in households with an income lower than £21,000 feel the government does not understand their economic plight, this is also true of 71 per cent of those in households with an income between £21,000 and £48,000, and of 68 per cent of those in households with an income above £48,000. And while the opinion is held by 74 per cent of those in social classes D and E (generally unskilled or casual workers and those reliant on benefits), it also applies to 66 per cent of the AB group (high-skilled professionals).

Examined by age, the poll shows that people between 45 and 54 are most likely to believe the government is out of touch with their financial situation – 79 per cent disagreeing with the statement. This falls to 59 per cent for those aged 18 to 24.

An overall 19 per cent of people think the government does understand the pressures they face, with 5 per cent agreeing strongly.

The poll findings come in the month after the Resolution Foundation’s report Squeezed Britain 2013 identified declining living standards as a challenge for all political parties. The report showed that it could be another decade before the earnings of people on low to middle incomes return to the levels they were at before the recession.

The poll also reveals that 40 per cent of people in work say they would take on more hours if they could find a job that allowed them to. This view is held particularly by younger working people – with 65 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds saying they would work more if they could.

The finding comes in the light of recent labour market statistics which show a growing trend towards part-time employment. While a record number of people are in work, the level of “traditional” full-time employment in 2012 was very similar to that seen in 2000.

And the survey shows that most have a clear sense of worse to come for many of those who receive some amount of state support – 69 per cent of those polled disagreed that “the majority of cuts to welfare and benefits are now behind us”, possibly a recognition of the fact that the larger proportion of such cuts already announced by the government have yet to take effect.

Vidhya Alakeson, Deputy Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, said:

“It isn’t only people on lower incomes who feel the government doesn’t grasp how much they are struggling – it’s also the view of many people who are better-off. This underlines that faltering prosperity is a key issue not only for the government of the day but for all political parties as we approach an election in two years’ time.”

Ends

Notes

• Polling was conducted by Ipsos MORI between 1 February and 3 February 2013 with 1,005 British adults aged 18+. Interviews were carried out by telephone. Data were weighted to match the profile of the population.

• The Resolution Foundation is an independent policy and research organisation seeking to improve the lives of people on low to middle incomes.