“Big Society Cover for Cuts”: Poll

Not much joy for the Coalition in our ComRes poll for tomorrow’s Independent on Sunday, shared with the Sunday Mirror. Labour’s lead has firmed up at six points; our tracker questions on public spending cuts have all moved against the Government; and people are unimpressed by the Big Society.

Voting intention:

Con                 36% (nc)

Lab                  42% (+2)

Lib Dem        11% (+1)

Other             11% (-3)

(Change since last ComRes poll for The Independent on Sunday/Sunday Mirror, 16 January.)

On the economic tracker questions all measures have worsened for the Coalition Government:

The scale of cuts planned is too severe and too fast

Nov        Dec           NOW

Agree                    51%        54%          57%

Disagree               34%        31%           28%

The Government is cutting public spending in a way that is fair to every section of society

Nov        Dec            NOW

Agree                   32%        30%           25%

Disagree              52%        53%            59%

The cuts are unfair because they will be felt more by the poor than by wealthier households

Nov        Dec            NOW

Agree                   56%        57%           63%

Disagree              30%        28%            24%

The Coalition Government is ensuring that the most vulnerable sections of society are protected

Nov        Dec            NOW

Agree                   28%        26%           22%

Disagree              51%        55%            57%

The need for cuts at the scale proposed has been exaggerated by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats for party political reasons

Nov        Dec            NOW

Agree                   37%        39%           41%

Disagree              42%        40%            38%

I expect to be worse off personally as a result of the spending cuts

Nov        Dec            NOW

Agree                   65%        66%           69%  (includes 56% of Tory voters)

Disagree              16%        16%            16%

On the Big Society, people seem to be distinctly unimpressed:

I have never heard of the Big Society

Agree               27%

Disagree           66%

I have heard of the Big Society but don’t know what it means

Agree               30%

Disagree           59%

The Government’s Big Society is merely a cover for spending cuts

Agree               41%

Disagree           21%

Don’t know       38%

The Government’s Big Society will succeed in fostering a culture of volunteerism

Agree               17%

Disagree           38%

Don’t know       46%

Conservative voters are the most positive about this statement but even they are split with 24% who think it will, 24% who think it won’t, and 52% who don’t know.

The Government’s Big Society is largely just a gimmick

Agree               50%

Disagree           14%

Don’t know       36%

Again, Conservative voters are evenly split with almost as many who think it is just a gimmick as those who do not – 30% and 31% respectively.

The Government’s Big Society will redistribute power from central government to ordinary citizens

Agree               16%

Disagree           42%

Don’t know       41%

A question on the Alternative Vote referendum, exclusively for The Independent on Sunday, follows in a separate post.

ComRes interviewed 2,009 GB adults online on 9 and 10 February 2011. Data were weighted to be representative of all adults and by past vote. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full tables at ComRes.

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• capa75

  Not convinced…

• keggsie

  Not convinced about what?

• http://openid-provider.appspot.com/bjgates Brian

  9% more and AV won’t matter.

• http://twitter.com/CityPam iPam Ryan

  It doesn’t matter anyway because the LD bashers will be out in force come the Referendum. Messages will be sent to the lying bastards.