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BUSINESS & POLITICS IN THE WORLD GLOBAL OPINION REPORT NO. 731 Week:
February 21 –February 27, 2022 Presentation:
March 04, 2022 731-43-22/Commentary:
Six In Ten Britons Support A Scheme To Resettle Ukrainian Refugees In The UK Cost
Of Living: Six In Ten Have Noticed Food Prices Rising In Their Local Shops Labor
Almost Close The Gap On The Economy As Sunak’s Job Approval Ratings Enter
Negative Territory Three
Quarters Of Britons (75%) Now Say That They Consider The Prime Minister To Be
Untrustworthy Nearly
Half (46%) Of Britons Think UK Government Is Relaxing COVID Rules Too Quickly 45%
Of Britons Think Russia Plans To Attack Further European Countries Six
In Ten Britons Support A Scheme To Resettle Ukrainian Refugees In The UK 30%
Of French People Plan To Invest In Cryptocurrencies The
View Of The French On Agriculture; 84% Have Good Image Of Farming Many
Working Parents With Young Children Say Finding Backup Care Would Be Very
Difficult Republicans’
Confidence In K-12 Principals Has Fallen Sharply During The Pandemic Most
U S Adults (71%) Identify Strengthening The Economy As A Top Concern In 2022 The
Inflation Crisis: 74% Of Canadians Are Concerned About Inflation In 2022 ANZ-Roy
Morgan Consumer Confidence Down Slightly By 1.4pts To 101.8 In The Third Week
Of February Three
Quarters Of People In Global Survey Including 28 Countries Want Single Use
Plastics Banned
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
731-43-22/Commentary:
Six
In Ten Britons Support A Scheme To Resettle Ukrainian Refugees In The UK
With the
Russian invasion of Ukraine in full swing, it has been reported
that by the UN refugee agency that 100,000
Ukrainians have been internally displaced by the conflict. More are
likely to flee as the conflict progresses, with the Polish deputy interior
minister saying
Poland needs to prepare for up to a million refugees.
Other countries bordering Ukraine, like Romania, Slovakia, Moldova and
Hungary, are also reportedly preparing for an influx of people. What should
Britain’s contribution to the humanitarian crisis be? Six in ten Britons
(63%) say that they would support the UK introducing a scheme to resettle
some Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion. Only 18% are opposed.
On the more
specific question of exactly how many Ukrainian refugees should be accepted,
the most common answer was “a few thousand”, which a figure equivalent to 17%
of the general population picked*, followed by “a few tens of thousands”, at
14%. Another 9% would be willing to welcome “a few hundreds of thousands”. Labour
voters are more willing to offer refuge to greater numbers of Ukrainians: 31%
say the UK should accept a few tens or a few hundreds of thousands,
compared to 14% of Conservatives. Asked
whether they believe the UK has a moral obligation to offer asylum to
Ukrainian refugees, half of Britons (50%) say that we do. A third (32%)
believe that we do not. Two thirds
of Labour voters say Britain has a moral obligation to offer asylum to
Ukrainians fleeing the war. Conservative voters tend to think the country has
no special obligation to do so, by 47% to 38%. * Only those who said that they would support setting up a
resettlement scheme for Ukrainian refugees were asked how many refugees
should be resettled. For simplicity of understanding, the results above have
been recalculated to show them as a percentage of the entire population (YouGov UK) February 25,
2022 731-43-23/Country Profile:
SUMMARY
OF POLLS
ASIA (Turkey) The Intention Not To Be Vaccinated Has Increased From 15%
To 20% Of People Who Have Not Been Vaccinated For The Third Dose In Turkey According to the research data carried out
by Ipsos, it is seen that the intention not to be vaccinated has increased
from 15% to 20% of people who have not been vaccinated for the third dose so
far. The rate of those who say they will be vaccinated has decreased to 60%.
It is important to consider these data, and today, there are countries that
draw attention to the data from the world. Moreover; new variants continue to
spread. (Ipsos Turkey) 21 February 2022 AFRICA (Morocco) Moroccans Are More Likely To Trust The Royal Army (83%),
The Police (75%), And Religious Leaders (63%) Than They Are To Trust
Political Actors While fewer than four in 10 Moroccans say
they trust their political leaders “somewhat” or “a lot,” these trust levels
represent improvements after drastic declines between 2015 and 2018. For
example, the proportion of respondents who express trust in the prime
minister has doubled to 36%, after dropping from 43% to 18% in 2018; 35% say
they trust members of Parliament (MPs), up from 13% after falling from 30% in
2015; and 37% trust local government councilors, double the proportion
recorded in 2018 (18%) after a decline from 29% in 2015. (Afrobarometer) 24 February 2022 WEST
EUROPE (UK) Cost Of Living: Six In Ten Have Noticed Food Prices Rising
In Their Local Shops Now, a new YouGov survey shows that the
vast majority of Britons have seen prices rise across a range of foodstuffs
in recent weeks. Two thirds (66%) say they have noticed the prices of meat
products, including deli meats and fresh produce, have risen. This includes
one in six (17%) who have seen major hikes in the cost of these items in
their local shops and 28% who have seen moderate rises. Only 11% say they
haven’t noticed a change in meat prices. A very small percentage (3%) report
a price decrease. (YouGov UK) February 22, 2022 Labor Almost Close The Gap On The Economy As Sunak’s Job
Approval Ratings Enter Negative Territory Political commentators often say that one
of Labour’s greatest barriers to office is convincing the public that it can
be trusted with the public purse. While their Conservative rivals enjoy
something of a default ‘good economic management’ position. Firstly, Labour
have once again narrowed the gap between themselves and the Conservatives on
the question of “who would best manage the economy”. Today’s figures show just a three-point
lead for Johnson’s party. While 27% of the public think “a Conservative
government led by Boris Johnson” would manage the economy better, 24% believe
the country would be better served by “a Labour government led by Keir
Starmer”. (YouGov UK) February 22, 2022 Three Quarters Of Britons (75%) Now Say That They Consider
The Prime Minister To Be Untrustworthy Three quarters of Britons (75%) now say
that they consider the prime minister to be untrustworthy, a six-point rise
from the prior poll in December. Only one in nine (11%) consider him to
be trustworthy, compared to 15% at the tail end of last
year. More than two thirds of Britons (68%) also consider the PM to be
incompetent, from 64% in the last poll. Only 19% consider him competent, from 22% in December. A similar number
consider Boris Johnson to be indecisive (69%), while 61% consider him weak, and most find him dislikeable (55%). (YouGov UK) February 22, 2022 6 In 10 Britons Support UK Government
Sanctions Against Russia – But Support Falls If Energy Prices Increase New polling conducted by Ipsos on 22
February shows that 6 in 10 Britons support sanctions being introduced by the
UK government in response to Russian sending troops into Ukraine. Just one in
ten oppose this action. However, support for sanctions falls to around half
(with opposition rising to one in five) should sanctions lead to increased
energy costs in the UK. When asked about the initial sanctions introduced
this week against five Russian banks and three wealthy Russian individuals,
one in three (34%) say they do not go far enough. Just over one in three
(35%) say they are about right and one in ten (11%) say they have gone too
far. One in five say they don’t know (21%). (Ipsos MORI) 24 February 2022 Nearly Half (46%) Of Britons Think UK
Government Is Relaxing COVID Rules Too Quickly New research by Ipsos has found that 46% of
Britons believe that the UK Government is relaxing Coronavirus restrictions
too quickly. While half (51%) of those who voted Conservative in 2019 say
that this is about the right time to relax coronavirus restrictions, still
over a third (35%) of those voters believe that the restrictions are being
relaxed too quickly. Labour voters are even more pessimistic with only 1 in 4
(25%) saying that this is about the right time to relax these restrictions.
Throughout the pandemic, Ipsos data has consistently shown that few people
think the Government was being too slow in removing restrictions. (Ipsos MORI) 24 February 2022 45% Of Britons Think Russia Plans To Attack Further
European Countries A new YouGov survey shows that Britons tend
to think countries worried about Russia are right to be concerned. Asked what
they think Russia’s intentions are, the most common answer – given by 45% of
Britons – is that Russia wants to occupy the entirety of Ukraine with a view
to attacking further European countries afterwards. This figure includes 53%
of Conservative voters and 45% of Labour voters. One in five (22%) think it
is Russia’s intention to occupy all of Ukraine, but go no further, while 10%
expect them to only occupy part of Ukraine. Another one in five Britons (20%)
aren’t sure. (YouGov UK) February 25, 2022 Six In Ten Britons Support A Scheme To
Resettle Ukrainian Refugees In The UK With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in
full swing, it has been reported that by the UN refugee agency that 100,000 Ukrainians have been
internally displaced by the conflict. What should Britain’s contribution to
the humanitarian crisis be? Six in ten Britons (63%) say that they would support
the UK introducing a scheme to resettle some Ukrainian refugees fleeing the
Russian invasion. Only 18% are opposed. Labour voters are more willing to
offer refuge to greater numbers of Ukrainians: 31% say the UK should
accept a few tens or a few hundreds of thousands, compared to 14% of
Conservatives. (YouGov UK) February 25, 2022 (France) 30% Of French People Plan To Invest In Cryptocurrencies First element that stands out clearly,
cryptos are no longer a niche subject for the French. Indeed, 77% of
them have already heard of the subject, and 8% have already
invested in cryptos , whether cryptocurrencies or NFTs. The share
of French people holding cryptos is therefore today higher than the share of
French people holding own shares (6.7% according to the AMF). Their adoption
should increase in the months and years to come: 30% of people
want to invest . Taking conservative assumptions, we can project
that more than 12% of French people will own cryptos at the end of
the year . (Ipsos France) February 21, 2022 The View Of The French On Agriculture; 84% Have Good Image
Of Farming 15% of
French people plan to go to the agricultural show which will begin on
February 26 in Paris, a figure drawn up by 18-34 year olds (21%). Unsurprisingly,
residents of the Paris region are significantly more likely to go there
(27%).78% of French people, including a majority of those aged 55 and over
(84%) think that this event is a good way to highlight the work of French
farmers. 77% of French people and in particular 81% of those over 55
think that French farmers do not work in good conditions. (YouGov
France) NORTH AMERICA (USA) Many Working Parents With Young Children Say Finding Backup
Care Would Be Very Difficult Nearly two years since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States, the emergence
of the highly transmissible omicron variant late last year upended things yet again, leaving many parents of
young children scrambling to figure out care. Working mothers with kids
younger than 12 are more likely than working fathers to say it has been
difficult to handle child care responsibilities in recent weeks due to the
coronavirus outbreak (58% vs. 43%). Mothers were also more likely than
fathers to say it had been difficult to manage child care responsibilities
during the pandemic in the October 2020 survey. (PEW) FEBRUARY 23, 2022 Seven-In-Ten Black Adults With Upper Incomes Say They Have
An Emergency Or Rainy Day Fund To Cover Three Months Of Expenses In Case Of
An Emergency According to the October 2021 survey, about
two-in-ten Black adults with lower incomes (18%) say they don’t even have
enough to meet basic needs, and another four-in-ten (43%) describe their
household finances as just meeting their basic needs. Black adults with
higher incomes report a starkly different situation: Only 4% of Black adults
with middle incomes and 1% of those with upper incomes say they don’t have
enough to meet basic needs. (PEW) FEBRUARY 23, 2022 Republicans’ Confidence In K-12 Principals Has Fallen
Sharply During The Pandemic Around half of Republicans and
Republican-leaning independents (52%) say they have a great deal or fair
amount of confidence in K-12 public school principals to act in the public’s
best interests, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in December 2021. Nearly as
many (47%) say they have not too much or no confidence at all in principals. In
April 2020, shortly after the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., Republicans’ attitudes
about public school principals were much more positive. At the time, around
eight-in-ten Republicans (79%) said they had a great deal or fair amount of
confidence in principals to act in the best interests of the public, while
20% said they had not too much or no confidence. (PEW) FEBRUARY 24, 2022 Most U S Adults (71%) Identify Strengthening The Economy As
A Top Concern In 2022 More Americans say strengthening the
economy should be a top policy priority for Biden and Congress to address
this year than say the same about any other issue. Most U.S. adults (71%)
identify this as a top concern, according to a Center survey conducted in January that asked about
the importance of 18 policy priorities. The public’s concern about the
economy comes at a time when inflation in the United States has hit a 40-year high. Large majorities of Americans say prices
for food and consumer goods (89%), gas prices (82%) and the cost of housing
(79%) are worse than they were a year ago. Only 28% rate economic conditions as
excellent or good. (PEW) FEBRUARY 25, 2022 (Canada) The Inflation Crisis: 74% Of Canadians Are Concerned About
Inflation In 2022 A new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of
CanadaHelps.org reveals that most Canadians (74%) are concerned about
inflation. With inflation reaching its highest level in 30 years it is not
surprising that it is having a profound effect on Canadians. Indeed, the vast
majority (82%) expect their financial situation to be negatively impacted in
some way, including a sizeable proportion (15%) who say that they won’t be
able to afford basic necessities (i.e., groceries, medicine, gas, etc.) and
three in ten (29%) would need to cut back on basic necessities, if high
inflation continues. (Ipsos Canada) 23 February 2022 AUSTRALIA 7.5 Million Australians Are Now Watching ‘Broadcast Video
On Demand’ Such As 7plus, 9now, 10 Play And ABC IView Viewership of ‘BVOD’ services grew strongly
during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 with an increase of around
2.1 million viewers (+39.5%) in 2020 compared to the December quarter 2019.
This level of growth was always going to be hard to maintain and over the
last year an additional 130,000 viewers streamed BVOD services, an increase
of 1.8% on 2020, for a total of over 7.5 million viewers (35.5%). (Roy Morgan) February 22 2022 ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Down Slightly By 1.4pts
To 101.8 In The Third Week Of February Consumer Confidence this week was down
around the country with the largest decreases in NSW and Tasmania. Bucking
the trend, Victoria’s Consumer Confidence increase 3pts (107.8). Now 27% (up
1ppt) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than
this time last year compared to 30% (up 1ppt), that say their families are
‘worse off’ financially. Looking forward, 35% (up 1ppt) of Australians expect
their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, compared to
19% (up 2ppts) that expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. (Roy Morgan) February 22 2022 MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES Three Quarters Of People In Global Survey Including 28
Countries Want Single Use Plastics Banned An average of three-quarters of people
across 28 countries agree that single-use plastic should be banned as soon as
possible, the ‘Attitudes towards single-use plastic’ survey by Ipsos in
conjunction with Plastic Free July has revealed. Latin American and BRIC
(Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries show the highest levels of
agreement with banning single-use plastic, at 88% and 80% respectively, while
North America has the lowest levels of agreement at 61%. (Ipsos
Australia) 22 February 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-au/three-quarters-people-want-single-use-plastics-banned A Survey In 5 European Countries About
Sepsis Demonstrates The Lack Of Awareness And An Expectation For Faster
Diagnostic Capabilities Knowledge of the term “sepsis” is low among
the surveyed general adult population. Only 52% have heard of sepsis, the
lowest awareness in comparison to other listed conditions. Awareness of
sepsis varies greatly between countries: it is highest in the UK (82%) and
Germany (83%), it is lower in Sweden (55%), and significantly lower in Italy
(33%) and France (7%). Moreover, only 56% of those aware of sepsis know at
least one of the listed symptoms of sepsis, among which the most frequent
are: lack of energy and being difficult to wake (29%), mottled or discoloured
skin (26%), and bluish or pale skin (24%). (Ipsos MORI) 22 February 2022 On Average Across 30 Countries, 71% Of
Adults Do Not Expect That Covid-19 Will Ever Stop Spreading Entirely A new Ipsos survey for the World Economic
Forum finds that, on average across 30 countries, 71% of adults do not expect
that COVID-19 will ever stop spreading entirely – and in Australia the figure
is 82%. A majority of adults in every country – from 51% in China to 85% in
the Netherlands – agree that “even with all the measures being taken, we
will never be able to fully stop the spread of COVID-19 and variants.” (Ipsos
Australia) 24 February 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-au/people-all-over-world-agree-covid-here-stay ASIA
731-43-01/Polls The
Intention Not To Be Vaccinated Has Increased From 15% To 20% Of People Who
Have Not Been Vaccinated For The Third Dose In Turkey
'Decrease in Perception of Danger'
Regarding the Epidemic Affects Vaccination Intention Negatively According to the research data carried out
by Ipsos, it is seen that the intention not to be vaccinated has increased
from 15% to 20% of people who have not been vaccinated for the third dose so
far. The rate of those who say they will be vaccinated has decreased to 60%.
It is important to consider these data, and today, there are countries that
draw attention to the data from the world. Moreover; new variants continue to
spread.
The Ratio of People Who Think the Hard Days
Are Over in the Epidemic Increases At the beginning of January, 55% of
individuals were of the opinion that difficult days are waiting for us in the
epidemic, while today this rate drops to 43%. The rate of those who think
that we have left the difficult days behind is 40%. This rate was 30% in the
first days of January.
Threat Perception of the Omicron Variant
Has Also Decreased Although the perception of threat posed by
the coronavirus epidemic for Turkey and for themselves and their families is
still high, a decrease is observed in this threat perception in February.
According to the data of this research carried out by Ipsos; While the rate
of those who saw the virus as a danger to themselves and their families at
the beginning of January was 81%, this rate decreased to 73% in mid-February.
There is a decrease in the channels where
the news about the epidemic is followed. Epidemic News Is Less Followed Now In the first months of 2021, while the
society followed the news about the epidemic from all kinds of channels, it
is seen that almost all the channels whose news is followed today are less
followed today. Especially the news on the internet and the government's
statements are falling 20 points more than last year.
News about the Coronavirus Outbreak Is Now
Less Followed As expected in the first days of the
epidemic, more than 90% of the society stated that more than 80% of the
society followed the news about the coronavirus epidemic, due to reasons such
as the high number of cases in 2021 and the severe illness of the people
infected with this virus. 69% of them say they follow the news about the
epidemic now. 60% of those who follow the news about the epidemic also follow
the news less than the first day of the epidemic.
Sidar Gedik, CEO of Ipsos Turkey, made the
following evaluations about the data; We have been conducting the Coronavirus
Outbreak and Community Survey for 96 weeks. Our remarkable finding in recent weeks
is that there is a relaxation in concentration regarding the epidemic.
Although the epidemic still occupies an important place on our agenda, it is
gradually ceased to be an issue that we focus on as much as before. The most striking indicator here is the
level of interest in epidemic news, while the entire society was following
the epidemic news in 2020, this rate decreased to 69% last week. In fact, 60%
of this audience, which continues to follow the news of the epidemic, states
that they follow less than before. In other words, there is a relaxation in
that mass as well. Of course, this relaxation and falling out of the agenda
is not a cause but a result. The reason is the conviction that we are
approaching the end of the epidemic. Four out of ten people now think that we
have left the hard days behind in the epidemic, this rate is almost equal to
those who think that the hard days in the epidemic are over. The rate of
those who think that the virus poses a danger to themselves or a family
member is still very high, but it should not be overlooked that there is a
significant decrease there as well. While the rate of those who saw the virus
as a danger at the beginning of January was 81%, this rate decreased to 73%
in mid-February. We also see another sign of relaxation in the intention to
get vaccinated, the trend of not getting the 3rd dose of vaccine is
increasing with each passing week. The intention not to get the third dose of
vaccine, which was at 15% at the beginning of January, increased to 20% in
mid-February. The dominant emotions in the society are
fatigue, boredom, we all naturally want to get rid of the epidemic and the
dangers and restrictions it causes. With the effect of this desire, it seems
that we interpret the developments positively. I hope these comments are
correct and we have now entered the period of the beginning of the end of the
epidemic. In the coming weeks, we will examine this "it's over"
thought in this society, do we really think like this, what are the details? (Ipsos Turkey) 21 February 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/tr-tr/salgina-yonelik-tehdit-algisinda-dusus-goruluyor AFRICA
731-43-02/Polls Moroccans
Are More Likely To Trust The Royal Army (83%), The Police (75%), And
Religious Leaders (63%) Than They Are To Trust Political Actors
Fewer Moroccans see their key public
institutions as corrupt and more express trust in them than three years ago, according to the
latest Afrobarometer survey. Popular trust in institutions and leaders
increased across the board after suffering a sharp decline in the previous survey round. Trust
in the Royal Army, the police, and religious leaders continued to far outpace trust in political
leaders. Perceptions of widespread corruption in key
institutions moved in the opposite direction, declining across the board. Even so,
substantial minorities see political leaders as corrupt, and only one in five citizens think corruption
decreased over the past year. About half of Moroccans say people risk retaliation if
they report corruption to the authorities. Key findings ▪ While fewer than four in 10
Moroccans say they trust their political leaders “somewhat” or “a lot,” these trust levels represent
improvements after drastic declines between 2015 and 2018. For example, the proportion
of respondents who express trust in the prime minister has doubled to 36%, after
dropping from 43% to 18% in 2018; 35% say they trust members of Parliament (MPs), up
from 13% after falling from 30% in 2015; and 37% trust local government councillors,
double the proportion recorded in 2018 (18%) after a decline from 29% in 2015 (Figure
1).
o Compared to 2018, the share of citizens
who express trust in the electoral commission more than tripled, from 17% to
60%. o Still, Moroccans are more likely to trust
the Royal Army (83%), the police (75%), and religious leaders (63%) than they are to
trust political actors. ▪ Perceptions of official corruption
moved in the opposite direction, improving across the board after mixed performances in 2018.
About three in 10 Moroccans say “most” or “all” MPs (32%) and local government
councillors (30%) are corrupt. About one in four say the same about the Office of the
Prime Minister (23%) and civil servants (24%) (Figure 2).
▪ The proportion of citizens who say
that corruption in the country increased “somewhat” or “a lot” over the past year
declined by 16 percentage points from 26% in 2015 to 42%. Still, only 22% believe
that corruption decreased (Figure 3).
▪ Almost half (48%) of citizens say
people risk retaliation or other negative consequences if they report incidents of
corruption. While this reflects a 10- percentage-point decrease from 2018, the
share who think people can safely report corruption remains at about half (51%)
(Figure 4).
(Afrobarometer) 24 February 2022 WEST
EUROPE
731-43-03/Polls Cost Of Living: Six In Ten Have Noticed Food Prices Rising In Their
Local Shops
Anti-poverty campaigner and author Jack Monroe recently went viral with a breakdown of
why inflation does not translate well to the changes in the price of food.
While inflation is up to 5.5% at the start of this year, Monroe’s price
tracking demonstrated the cost of some staple foods have increased as much as three-fold in the same time. Now, a new YouGov survey shows that the vast majority of Britons have
seen prices rise across a range of foodstuffs in recent weeks. Two thirds (66%) say they have noticed the prices of meat products,
including deli meats and fresh produce, have risen. This includes one in six
(17%) who have seen major hikes in the cost of these items in their local
shops and 28% who have seen moderate rises. Only 11% say they haven’t noticed
a change in meat prices. A very small percentage (3%) report a price
decrease.
Another 66% have seen prices of dairy items rise – including 11% who
have seen major rises and 30% who report moderate increases to the cost of
cheese, yoghourt, and milk. Price hikes are not limited to animal products. Monroe pointed out as
an example that the price of a small bag of apples was up 51% - from 59p to
89p. Some 63% of people say the price of fresh fruit has risen in their local
area, including 11% saying there has been a large increase in their
cost. Perhaps most importantly, Monroe has shown that the price of some
essential staple foods such as rice have risen as much as 340%. Around one in eight people (13%)
say they’ve seen major increases in the cost of foods like rice and pasta
recently, while 26% say they’ve increased moderately, and 23% say they’ve
seen a slight increase in their cost – a total of 62%. In comparison, only
17% say they’ve not noticed a change in the cost of these basics. A similar proportion (61%) say the price of vegetables in their local
shops is up – while 20% say they remain roughly the same. Monroe’s price
tracking also showed her example loaf of bread had
increased 29%, from 45p to 58p. Six in ten (60%) report noticing price rises
in bread and baked goods in their area – 8% say there has been a major
increase in their cost. Finally, 59% say the price of jarred and tinned foods have risen in
their local shops, with 19% saying the cost of these items hasn’t changed. (YouGov UK) February 22, 2022 731-43-04/Polls Labor Almost Close The Gap On The Economy As Sunak’s Job Approval
Ratings Enter Negative Territory
Political commentators often say that one of Labour’s greatest
barriers to office is convincing the public that it can be trusted with the
public purse. While their Conservative rivals enjoy something of a default
‘good economic management’ position, Labour leaders and shadow chancellors
seemingly must consistently break the assumption that they and their plans
would be bad for the British economy. Back at the end of January, we took a
look at how public opinion on a prospective Labour party government had
changed quite dramatically over the winter months. Yet, despite strong
relative positions on issues such as housing, inflation, and reducing
poverty, Labour remained six points behind the Conservatives on “which
government do you think would be better for managing the economy”. If completing the holy trinity of being ahead on voting intention,
‘best prime minister’, and economic management is the next step Labour must
take if they are to win the next election, then this week’s tracker results
will provide extremely encouraging reading for them. Firstly, Labour have once again narrowed the gap between themselves
and the Conservatives on the question of “who
would best manage the economy”. Today’s figures show just a three-point
lead for Johnson’s party. While 27% of the public think “a Conservative
government led by Boris Johnson” would manage the economy better, 24% believe
the country would be better served by “a Labour government led by Keir Starmer”.
At the same time, Rishi
Sunak’s job approval ratings have been declining with the British
public. Assessments of Sunak’s job performance have crossed into negative
territory for the first time since YouGov began tracking them, with 33% of
the public believing he has done a “bad job” versus 30% who think he has done
a “good job” (net -3). In last month’s poll, 34% believed he was doing a good
job, compared to 26% a bad one (net +8).
There is nonetheless some positive news for Johnson’s government.
Though Labour are within a few percentage points of becoming the
public’s preferred
government for economic management, Sunak (29%) still holds a wide lead
over Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves on the public’s preferred
Chancellor (12%). That said, 60% of the public do not know either way, while other
YouGov figures suggest that only just under 31% have even heard of Reeves
(compared to 88% who have heard of Sunak). So, Sunak’s lead could quickly
evaporate – or equally, widen – as and when an election campaign begins and
the public become more familiar with Reeves. (YouGov UK) February 22, 2022 731-43-05/Polls Three Quarters Of Britons (75%) Now Say That They Consider The Prime
Minister To Be Untrustworthy
With the ‘partygate’ scandal having rumbled on for much of January
and February, new YouGov tracking data shows what damage the extended crisis
has had on the prime minister since the last incarnation in late December. Three quarters of Britons (75%) now say that they consider the prime
minister to be untrustworthy, a six-point rise from the prior poll in
December. Only one in nine (11%) consider him to be trustworthy,
compared to 15% at the tail end of last year. More than two thirds of Britons (68%) also consider the PM to be
incompetent, from 64% in the last poll. Only 19% consider him competent,
from 22% in December. A similar number consider Boris Johnson to be indecisive (69%),
while 61% consider him weak,
and most find him dislikeable (55%).
Labour leader Keir Starmer’s ratings have seen improvements, with a
six-point increase in competence (37%),
pushing it into net positive territory for the first time since March (31%
currently consider him to be incompetent). There has also been a seven-point increase in decisive (27%) and a
five-point increase in trustworthy (33%),
although Starmer still finds himself with net negative attributes in these
areas, with 40% considering him indecisive and 35% untrustworthy. Likewise, Starmer still tends to be seen as weak
rather than strong (42% vs 21%) and dislikeable
rather than likeable (38% vs 29%). (YouGov UK) February 22, 2022 731-43-06/Polls 6 In 10 Britons Support UK Government Sanctions Against Russia – But
Support Falls If Energy Prices Increase
New polling conducted by Ipsos on 22 February shows that 6 in 10
Britons support sanctions being introduced by the UK government in response
to Russian sending troops into Ukraine. Just one in ten oppose this action.
However, support for sanctions falls to around half (with opposition rising
to one in five) should sanctions lead to increased energy costs in the UK.
When asked about the initial sanctions introduced this week against
five Russian banks and three wealthy Russian individuals, one in three (34%)
say they do not go far enough. Just over one in three (35%) say they are
about right and one in ten (11%) say they have gone too far. One in five say
they don’t know (21%). When asked how closely they are following events between Russia and
Ukraine, 73% say they are following the situation closely (30% very closely).
However, this is less than the 88% saying they have followed the recent
weather / storms closely and the 8 in 10 that say they are following the
relaxation of Covid restrictions closely. Meanwhile, before recent news
stories just one in three (34%) claimed to know ‘a great deal’ or ‘fair
amount’ about Ukraine with 65% saying they knew ‘not very much’ or ‘nothing
at all’. The public are less critical of Boris Johnson’s handling of the
crisis than they were last month. 26% think he has done a good job handling
the situation (+7 points) and 32% say he has done a bad job (-9 points).
The principle of introducing sanctions in
response to Russia sending troops into Ukraine is supported by the British
public, although if it leads to increased energy prices that does reduce
support. And many also say they are following the story closely, although not
as much as some other domestic stories, and we shouldn’t overestimate the
prior knowledge people had of Ukraine. Ratings of the Prime Minister’s
handling of the situation have got slightly less negative over the last few
weeks, although still Britons are divided on whether the first set of
sanctions are the appropriate level of response. (Ipsos MORI) 24 February 2022 731-43-07/Polls Nearly Half (46%) Of Britons Think UK Government Is Relaxing COVID
Rules Too Quickly
New research by Ipsos has found that 46% of Britons believe that the
UK Government is relaxing Coronavirus restrictions too quickly. While half (51%) of those who voted Conservative in 2019 say that
this is about the right time to relax coronavirus restrictions, still over a
third (35%) of those voters believe that the restrictions are being relaxed
too quickly. Labour voters are even more pessimistic with only 1 in 4 (25%)
saying that this is about the right time to relax these restrictions.
Throughout the pandemic, Ipsos data has consistently shown that few people
think the Government was being too slow in removing restrictions.
However, concern that they are being relaxed too quickly is lower now than it
was when lockdown measures were being lifted last July (when it was 58%).
Keiran Pedley at Ipsos said
of the findings: “While the public is divided on whether or not this is the right time
for the government to relax COVID-19 restrictions, it’s clear that the
decision to stop providing free COVID-19 tests to anyone who requests them is
not a popular one. It is notable that many Britons say they would go into
work even after testing positive which may hamper plans to get people back
into offices.” (Ipsos MORI) 24 February 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/nearly-half-britons-think-uk-government-relaxing-covid-rules-too-quickly 731-43-08/Polls 45% Of Britons Think Russia Plans To Attack Further European
Countries
While Ukraine is currently the subject of Russia’s focus, it is far
from the only country feeling threatened by Vladimir Putin. The Baltic states
of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in particular have long harboured concerns
that Russia wants
to take them over. Now a new YouGov survey shows that Britons tend to think countries
worried about Russia are right to be concerned. Asked what they think Russia’s intentions are, the most common answer
– given by 45% of Britons – is that Russia wants to occupy the entirety of
Ukraine with a view to attacking further European countries afterwards. This
figure includes 53% of Conservative voters and 45% of Labour voters.
One in five (22%) think it is Russia’s intention to occupy all of
Ukraine, but go no further, while 10% expect them to only occupy part of
Ukraine. Another one in five Britons (20%) aren’t sure. There are clear concerns that the invasion of Ukraine could be a
harbinger of further conflict to come. Half of Britons (52%) say they think
it is likely that the attack with lead to a wider war involving the UK,
including 13% who think it is “very likely”. Only 26% think such an outcome
is unlikely, including just 4% who believe it is “not at all likely”.
Given this, it is perhaps unsurprising that most Britons think the
invasion will have a great deal (11%) or fair amount (44%) of impact on their
own life. (YouGov UK) February 25, 2022 731-43-09/Polls Six In Ten Britons Support A Scheme To Resettle Ukrainian Refugees In
The UK
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in full swing, it has been reported
that by the UN refugee agency that 100,000 Ukrainians have been
internally displaced by the conflict. More are likely to flee as the conflict progresses, with the Polish
deputy interior minister saying
Poland needs to prepare for up to a million refugees. Other countries
bordering Ukraine, like Romania, Slovakia, Moldova and Hungary, are also
reportedly preparing for an influx of people. What should Britain’s contribution to the humanitarian crisis be? Six
in ten Britons (63%) say that they would support the UK introducing a scheme
to resettle some Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion. Only 18%
are opposed.
On the more specific question of exactly how many Ukrainian refugees
should be accepted, the most common answer was “a few thousand”, which a
figure equivalent to 17% of the general population picked*, followed by “a
few tens of thousands”, at 14%. Another 9% would be willing to welcome “a few
hundreds of thousands”. Labour voters are more willing to offer refuge to greater numbers of
Ukrainians: 31% say the UK should accept a few tens or a few hundreds of
thousands, compared to 14% of Conservatives. Asked whether they believe the UK has a moral obligation to offer
asylum to Ukrainian refugees, half of Britons (50%) say that we do. A third
(32%) believe that we do not. Two thirds of Labour voters say Britain has a moral obligation to offer
asylum to Ukrainians fleeing the war. Conservative voters tend to think the
country has no special obligation to do so, by 47% to 38%. * Only those who said that they would
support setting up a resettlement scheme for Ukrainian refugees were asked
how many refugees should be resettled. For simplicity of understanding, the
results above have been recalculated to show them as a percentage of the
entire population (YouGov UK) February 25, 2022 731-43-10/Polls 30% Of French People Plan To Invest In Cryptocurrencies
8% of French people have already acquired cryptocurrencies First element that stands out clearly, cryptos are no longer a niche
subject for the French. Indeed, 77% of them have already heard of the
subject, and 8% have already invested in cryptos , whether
cryptocurrencies or NFTs. The share of French people holding cryptos is
therefore today higher than the share of French people holding own shares
(6.7% according to the AMF). Their adoption should increase in the months and years to come: 30%
of people want to invest . Taking conservative assumptions, we can
project that more than 12% of French people will own cryptos at
the end of the year . These adoption prospects will surely have a lasting impact,
particularly vis-à-vis traditional financial players, since already
today, one in five French people say they are ready to
change banks for a more “crypto-friendly” establishment. Today, the adoption of cryptos mainly affects a young
audience (-35 years old) and mainly male . The vast majority of
investors do not invest more than 10% of their overall
savings . Among the cryptocurrencies favored by those wishing to
invest, bitcoin plays its role as the sector's locomotive with
69% , followed by bitcoin cash with 28% and 14% with ether.
The French and
cryptocurrency. Source: KPMG Among the main reasons for French people not investing in
cryptos, lack of
knowledge of how they work comes first (48%), followed by
the significant risk associated
with these assets (30%). The crypto industry is
still associated with a negative image among skeptics and uninterested people
today, often linked to misinformation on the subject. As their adoption grows, cryptos are interfering in politics and
could influence the presidential voting intentions of nearly one
in five French people (18%) . This decisive theme for some French
citizens testifies to the important and currently underestimated stake in the
presidential campaign. (Ipsos France) February 21, 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/30-des-francais-envisagent-dinvestir-dans-les-cryptomonnaies 731-43-11/Polls The View Of The French On Agriculture; 84% Have Good Image Of Farming
With the approach of the Salon de l'Agriculture, we were interested
in the perception of the French on the world of agriculture which is the
subject of numerous criticisms, in particular among anti-speciesists. Do the French have a good image of the profession of
farmer? What do they think of their working conditions? Are they
sensitive to the environmental impact of agricultural activity? The agricultural show 15% of French
people plan to go to the agricultural show which will begin on February 26 in
Paris, a figure drawn up by 18-34 year olds (21%). Unsurprisingly,
residents of the Paris region are significantly more likely to go there
(27%). 78% of French people, including a majority of those aged 55 and over
(84%) think that this event is a good way to highlight the work of French
farmers. Perception of French farmers 84% of French people say they have a good image of the farming
profession.
Working conditions 77% of French people and in particular 81% of
those over 55 think that French farmers do not work in good conditions. Government involvement A law aimed at protecting farmers' remuneration, known as
"EGalim 2", was enacted in October 2021. It aims to work for
"fair remuneration for farmers" and, to this end, rebalance
commercial relations between the various links in the chain. food and
agrifood. Despite everything, 2 out of 3 French people consider that the
government does not support farmers enough (66%), a figure which rises to 71%
among French people who have a good image of the profession. Conversely,
24% of respondents feel that farmers are sufficiently supported. Animal welfare 24% of French
people believe that farmers do not take animal welfare into
account. This opinion is shared by 54% of French people who have a bad image of the
profession of farmer. 85% of French
people also think that breeders should be checked on the way they treat
animals, including 89% of women. Conversely, 71% of those who have a good image of the profession
consider that farmers take animal welfare into account. Respect the environment Less than one in two French people (47%) consider that the French
agricultural system is respectful of the environment. Conversely, 42%
think it is not and 11% have no opinion on the subject. Note: among those who have a bad image of the profession of farmer,
32% think that the French agricultural system is not at all respectful of the
environment. Under the spotlight 58% of French
people have already watched the program "L'amour est dans le
pré". This program consists of making viewers meet farmers looking
for love, to form a couple. 29% of those who have watched this program
say it has positively impacted their perception of farmers. (YouGov France) Source: https://fr.yougov.com/news/2022/02/22/le-regard-des-francais-sur-lagriculture/ NORTH
AMERICA
731-43-12/Polls Many Working Parents With Young Children Say Finding Backup Care
Would Be Very Difficult
Nearly two years since the coronavirus
pandemic hit the United States, the emergence of the highly
transmissible omicron variant late last year upended
things yet again, leaving many parents of young children scrambling
to figure out care.
About half of working parents of children younger than 12 at home say
it has been at least somewhat difficult to handle child care responsibilities
in recent weeks, similar to the share who said in October
2020 that handling these responsibilities during the pandemic had
been difficult, according to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted Feb.
7-13. And a substantial share of working parents of younger children say it
would be very difficult for them to find backup care if needed. The share of working parents with children younger than 12 at home
who say it’s been difficult to handle child care is about the same as the
share who expressed similar concerns in October of 2020, when many schools
and child care centers were not
operating in person. In March 2020, when the pandemic had just begun to
trigger shutdowns, a majority of these parents said it had been at least
somewhat easy for them to handle child care during the COVID-19 outbreak. Working mothers with kids younger than 12 are more likely than
working fathers to say it has been difficult to handle child care
responsibilities in recent weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak (58% vs.
43%). Mothers were also more likely than fathers to say it had been difficult
to manage child care responsibilities during the pandemic in the October 2020
survey.
Among working parents with children under age 6 who rely on child
care from someone other than a spouse or partner, 45% say it would be very
difficult for them to find backup child care if care was unavailable to them
because of reasons related to the coronavirus outbreak, and 36% say it would
be somewhat difficult. Only about two-in-ten of these working parents (18%)
say it would be at least somewhat easy for them to find backup child care if
needed. Majorities of working mothers (78%) and fathers (83%) of kids under 6
who rely on outside help say it would be difficult to find backup child care. (PEW) FEBRUARY 23, 2022 731-43-13/Polls Seven-In-Ten Black Adults With Upper Incomes Say They Have An
Emergency Or Rainy Day Fund To Cover Three Months Of Expenses In Case Of An
Emergency
Most Black adults say their household finances meet basic needs with
either a little or a lot left over for extras, even amid economic
disruptions due to COVID-19. Yet financial challenges exist. Fewer
than half of Black adults say they have an emergency fund, and some have
taken multiple jobs to make ends meet, according to a recent Pew Research
Center survey of Black Americans.
The survey also finds that Black Americans typically experience
higher levels of economic insecurity than Americans overall. This insecurity
has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic amid health and financial
challenges, which include a relatively high
unemployment rate for Black workers. Yet within the
Black population, the economic experiences of Black Americans have long
varied due to income and economic inequality. Before the pandemic,
the top 10 percent of households headed by Black adults earned 14
times the amount of Black households in the bottom 10%, a gap that
has grown over the decades. The long-standing differences in economic experiences among Black
Americans remain today. According to the October 2021 survey, about
two-in-ten Black adults with lower incomes (18%) say they don’t even have
enough to meet basic needs, and another four-in-ten (43%) describe their
household finances as just meeting their basic needs. Black adults with
higher incomes report a starkly different situation: Only 4% of Black adults
with middle incomes and 1% of those with upper incomes say they don’t have
enough to meet basic needs. At the same time, most Black adults with middle and upper incomes say
their household finances cover basic needs with some left over for extras.
Roughly three-quarters (76%) of Black adults with middle incomes say this, as
do 93% of Black adults with upper incomes. Meanwhile, just 38% of Black
adults with lower incomes say their household finances meet basic needs with
money left over. And while relatively few Black adults overall say their
households have a lot left over for extras (14%), nearly half (47%) of Black
adults with upper incomes say this, highlighting a diverse range of economic
experiences among Black people. Economic experiences also vary widely by educational attainment. A
majority of Black adults with a postgraduate degree (82%), a bachelor’s
degree (77%) or some college experience (61%) say their household finances
are enough to have a little or a lot left over for extras. This share drops
to 44% among Black adults with a high school diploma or less education. Most Black adults do not have an emergency
fund
While most Black adults say their household finances meet basic needs
with some left over for extras, just 36% say they have an emergency or rainy
day fund to cover three months of expenses in case of sickness, job loss,
economic downturn or other emergencies. But there are wide disparities across
family income tiers and educational attainment levels. Seven-in-ten Black adults with upper incomes say they have an
emergency or rainy day fund to cover three months of expenses in case of an
emergency, more than three times the share (21%) of Black adults with lower
incomes who say the same. Among Black adults with middle incomes, fewer than
half (44%) have an emergency fund. Similarly, about a quarter (24%) of Black adults with a high school
diploma or less say they have a three-month emergency fund, while roughly a
third (35%) of Black adults with some college experience say the same. The
gap between those with at least a college degree is smaller: 53% of Black
adults with a bachelor’s degree and 57% with a postgraduate degree say they
have an emergency fund. An April 2020 Pew
Research Center survey found only 27% of non-Hispanic Black adults
said they had an emergency or rainy day fund that would cover their expenses
for three months in case of emergency. Since then, the share of non-Hispanic
Black adults with an emergency fund has grown to 35%. For Black adults with more than one job,
multiple incomes often essential to meeting basic needs
About 15% of Black adults say they have worked more than one job at
the same time in the 12 months prior to the survey. Among those who have, 45%
say they did so because the combined income was essential, and another 28%
say the combined income helped meet basic needs. The share of Black Americans who worked multiple jobs differs across
demographic subgroups. Black adults with a postgraduate degree are among the most likely
educational subgroups to say they worked more than one job at the same time –
21% say this. Meanwhile, 18% of Black adults with a bachelor’s degree and 16%
with some college experience worked multiple jobs at once. Just 10% of Black
adults with a high school diploma or less say they worked multiple jobs at
the same time. By contrast, roughly one-in-ten Black adults with lower incomes (12%)
and upper incomes (14%) say they worked more than one job at the same time,
while 19% of Black adults with middle incomes say the same. And when it comes to immigration status, roughly two-in-ten Black
adults who were born in another country (21%) say they worked more than one
job at the same time in the 12 months prior to the survey, compared with 14%
of Black adults who were born in the United States. Black Americans face more economic
insecurity than Americans overall The survey also finds Black Americans are less secure in their
finances than Americans overall: 60% of Black Americans say their household
finances meet basic needs with at least a little left over for extras,
compared with 71% of all Americans. Similarly, while 36% of Black Americans
have a three-month emergency fund, 54% of all Americans say they have one.
Similar gaps between the groups exist across all major demographic subgroups. However, Black Americans are just as likely as Americans overall to
say they have worked more than one job at the same time in the 12 months
prior to the survey – 15% of each group says so. Among those who have held
more than one job at the same time, large majorities of Black Americans and
U.S. adults overall (73% vs. 67%) say they did so to meet basic needs. (PEW) FEBRUARY 23, 2022 731-43-14/Polls Republicans’ Confidence In K-12 Principals Has Fallen Sharply During
The Pandemic
Amid high-profile debates over a range of K-12 school policies –
from mask
mandates to the teaching
of race-related issues – a declining share of Republicans in the
United States say they are confident in public school principals to act in
the best interests of the public.
Around half of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (52%)
say they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in K-12 public school
principals to act in the public’s best interests, according to a Pew
Research Center survey conducted in December 2021. Nearly as many
(47%) say they have not too much or no confidence at all in principals. In April 2020, shortly after the beginning of the coronavirus
outbreak in the U.S., Republicans’ attitudes about public school
principals were much more positive. At the time, around eight-in-ten
Republicans (79%) said they had a great deal or fair amount of confidence in
principals to act in the best interests of the public, while 20% said they
had not too much or no confidence. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have also become less
likely to express confidence in school principals during the pandemic, but
the drop-off has not been nearly as steep as among Republicans – and a large
majority of Democrats still voice confidence. As of December 2021, around
three-quarters of Democrats (76%) say they have a great deal or fair amount
of confidence in principals, down from 87% in April 2020. Overall, 64% of U.S. adults say they have a great deal or fair amount
of confidence in K-12 principals to act in the best interests of the public,
down from 83% in April 2020. Public confidence in a number of other societal
groups and institutions has
also waned during the pandemic, with especially notable decreases
among Republicans. \ GOP criticism of public schools is not limited to principals, a July
2021 Center survey found. In that survey, a majority of Republicans
(57%) said K-12 public schools overall were having a negative effect on the
way things were going in the country. Around three-quarters of Democrats
(77%) said K-12 schools were having a positive effect.
That survey, too, found growing GOP negativity about a range of societal
institutions, including banks and financial institutions, large corporations,
tech companies and labor unions. So what’s driving the growing partisan polarization around K-12
schools? Surveys by the Center and other polling organizations indicate that
pandemic-related changes to school policies, as well as recent debates over
school curriculums, may be playing a role. In March 2020, when the coronavirus outbreak first struck the U.S.,
the vast majority of Republicans (85%) and Democrats (94%) said closing K-12
schools was a necessary
step. But as the pandemic has continued, partisan disagreements about
school closures have become more pointed. In a survey
this past January – when the omicron variant was
spreading rapidly and some schools were again closing
their doors – Republican K-12 parents were much more likely than
Democratic parents (55% vs. 26%) to favor schools providing in-person only
instruction. Democratic parents were more likely than Republican ones (64%
vs. 39%) to favor a mix of in-person and online instruction.
In the same survey, Republican and Democratic parents also differed
over the factors that should be given a lot of consideration when deciding
whether to keep K-12 schools open for in-person instruction. GOP parents were
more likely than Democratic parents to say a lot of consideration should be
given to students’ academic progress and their emotional well-being, while
Democratic parents were more likely than Republicans to say a lot of
consideration should be given to the risks that the coronavirus posed to
students and teachers. Mask mandates have also been
a flashpoint in some school districts. While Pew Research Center has
not recently polled about mask mandates in schools, there have long
been wide
partisan divides in views of masking more generally. This past
January, Republicans were 40 percentage points less likely than Democrats
(39% vs. 79%) to say they had worn a mask or face covering in stores and
other businesses all
or most of the time in the prior month. Debates over school curriculums may be having an effect on
Republicans’ satisfaction with public schools as well. In a Washington
Post/ABC News survey in November 2021, seven-in-ten Republicans and
Republican-leaning independents – compared with around a quarter of Democrats
and Democratic leaners (26%) – said parents should have
a lot of say in what their child’s school teaches. Democrats were
about twice as likely as Republicans (45% vs. 21%) to say parents should
have some say in what
their child’s school teaches. While partisan differences over K-12 schools may have grown wider
during the pandemic, Republicans and Democrats had disagreements over some
aspects of public schooling well before the pandemic. In a May
2019 survey by the Center, Republicans were less likely than Democrats to
say K-12 schools were open to a wide range of opinions and viewpoints. Around
half of Republicans (49%) said K-12 schools were very or somewhat open in
this regard, compared with around seven-in-ten Democrats (71%). Other survey questions related to K-12 schools have found no change
in attitudes during the pandemic. In an October
2021 Center survey, only around one-in-five adults (22%) said the quality
of K-12 education in the public schools was a major problem in their local
community, unchanged from 2018. In that survey, Republicans were
slightly less likely
than Democrats (19% vs. 23%) to say the quality of K-12 education was a major
problem where they live. (PEW) FEBRUARY 24, 2022 731-43-15/Polls Most U S Adults (71%) Identify Strengthening The Economy As A Top
Concern In 2022
President Joe Biden will deliver his first
State of the Union address on Tuesday night. The speech comes as the
country approaches the third year of the
coronavirus pandemic, and amid rising concerns about the economy and
challenges from abroad. Here’s a look at public opinion on some of the key issues facing the
country, drawn from recent Pew Research Center surveys. Americans are most concerned about the
economy
More Americans say strengthening the economy should be a top policy
priority for Biden and Congress to address this year than say the same about
any other issue. Most U.S. adults (71%) identify this as a top concern,
according to a Center
survey conducted in January that asked about the importance of 18
policy priorities. The public’s concern about the economy comes at a time when inflation
in the United States has
hit a 40-year high. Large majorities of Americans say prices for food and
consumer goods (89%), gas prices (82%) and the cost of housing (79%)
are worse
than they were a year ago. Only 28% rate economic conditions as excellent
or good. Still, the share of Americans who cite strengthening the economy as a
top priority has dropped 9 percentage points from a year ago, and concern
about jobs has declined. Only about half of Americans currently view
improving the job situation as
a top priority (52%), compared with 67% last year. Prior to the
COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, there had been long-term drops in the shares
citing the economy and jobs as top policy priorities. The share of Democrats and independents who lean toward the
Democratic Party who say strengthening the economy should be a top priority
has fallen from 75% a year ago to 63% today. There has been almost no change
in views among Republicans and GOP leaners: 85% said it was a top priority
last year, and 82% view it that way today. Waning concern about the COVID-19 pandemic
Dealing with the coronavirus
outbreak ranked among Americans’ top three policy concerns in the
January survey, but Americans view it as less important than they did last
year. Six-in-ten now say it should be a major priority, down from 78% who
said this in 2021. The share who say dealing with the pandemic should be a top policy
priority has fallen among members of both political parties, but the decline
is steeper among Republicans: 60% said the pandemic was a top priority a year
ago, compared with 35% today. Among Democrats, 93% viewed it as a major
priority last year, compared with 80% now. Younger people are also less likely to identify this as important
than older Americans. Roughly half of adults under 50 (54%) say dealing with
the coronavirus should be a top priority, compared with 61% of adults ages 50
to 64, and 72% of those ages 65 and older. Nearly two-thirds of women (65%) say that this should be a top
priority for the president and Congress this year. A smaller share of men
(54%) say the same. Before Ukraine invasion, Americans were
divided on Russia threat
When it comes to rising U.S.-Russia tensions, an early January survey
found that 26% of Americans considered the Russian military buildup near
Ukraine to be a major threat to U.S. interests, while 33% said it was a minor
threat to U.S. interests. Another 7% said it was no threat at all. A
relatively large share of U.S. adults (33%) said they were not sure how
Russian actions toward Ukraine affected U.S. interests. The survey was
conducted prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, before the U.S. put troops on higher alert, and before NATO announced
that member countries would send
military support to the region. The survey found that about half of U.S. adults (49%) considered
Russia a competitor of the U.S., while 41% said it is an enemy. Only 7%
considered Russia a partner of the U.S. When it comes to other foreign policy concerns, the share of
Americans who rank defending the country against future terrorist attacks as
a top policy priority has been steadily declining in recent years: 55% of
Americans said in the January
policy priorities survey that this should be a major priority,
dropping from 63% last year and 74% in an
early 2020 survey. Wide partisan gaps on climate change
Dealing with global climate change was among the most politically
divisive issues on the January survey: Roughly two-thirds of Democrats (65%)
say this should be a top priority for Biden and Congress this year, compared
with just 11% of Republicans. Views also differ based on age. Adults under 30 are the only age
group in which a majority (54%) say global climate change should be a top
priority. This compares with 42% of those ages 30 to 49, 36% of those ages 50
to 64 and 39% of those age 65 and older. In a survey
conducted in April 2021, majorities of Americans said the federal
government was doing too little to reduce the effects of global climate
change (59%) and to protect important aspects of the environment including
air quality (59%), water quality of lakes, rivers and streams (63%) and
animals and their habitats (57%). Immigration policy looms large for
Republicans
This year, 67% of Republicans view immigration as a top priority,
compared with just 35% of Democrats. Overall, about half of Americans (49%)
say that dealing with immigration should be a major priority for the
president and Congress this year, up 10 points from a year ago. At that time, identical shares of
Republicans and Democrats (39% each) said dealing with the issue of immigration
should be a top priority. Although the Biden administration has acted
on a number of fronts to reverse more restrictive Trump-era
immigration policies, deportation remains an important concern for many U.S.
Latinos. A March
2021 survey of Latino adults found that nearly four-in-ten Latinos
(39%) said they worry that they, a family member, or someone close to them
could be deported. That concern was even higher among immigrants. A spring
2021 survey found that 84% of Hispanic adults said there should be a
way for undocumented immigrants to stay in the country legally if certain
requirements were met, compared with 69% of U.S. adults overall. Views on race-related issues
The share of Americans who say that addressing issues around race is
an important priority this year has fallen from 49% in early 2021 to 37% this
year. Black adults (66%) are more likely than either White (27%) or Hispanic
adults (47%) to say this should be a top priority. There is also a partisan
divide: 53% of Democrats say this should be a top priority, compared with 14%
of Republicans. Half of all adults said in a
July 2021 survey that “a lot” more needs to be done to ensure equal
rights for all Americans regardless of their race or ethnicity. About as many
said either that a little (34%) or nothing at all (15%) needs to be done.
Around a quarter of adults (24%) said that while there are many inequities in
U.S. laws and institutions, necessary changes can be made by working within
the current systems, while roughly as many (25%) said that most laws and
major institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are
fundamentally biased against some racial and ethnic groups. Rising concerns about health care costs About six-in-ten Americans (61%) say that reducing health care costs
should be a top policy priority for the president and Congress this year,
according to the
January survey. This is a leading priority for Democrats, 69% of whom
view it as a top priority; only dealing with the coronavirus ranks higher
(80%). Fewer Republicans (53%) identify lowering health care costs as a top priority. In a separate
January 2022 survey, 55% of Americans said the cost of health care is
worse now than it was a year ago, and a larger share of Americans said they
agreed with the Democratic Party’s health care policies than with the
Republican Party’s (42% vs. 26%). Declining Supreme Court favorability
The public’s views of the court are as negative as they have been in
many years. Democrats have expressed increasingly unfavorable opinions,
according to a survey
conducted in early January, before Justice Stephen Breyer announced his
retirement and Biden reiterated his pledge
to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. The survey also
found that the overall public sees the court as more ideologically
conservative than two years ago, and that view is particularly true of
Democrats. A slim majority of U.S. adults (54%) said in January that they have a
favorable opinion of the Supreme Court while 44% have an unfavorable view.
Over the past three years, the share of adults with a favorable view of the
court has declined 15 points, driven largely by a drop-off among Democrats.
Last year, 65% of Democrats said they had a favorable view of the court.
Today, that number has fallen to 46%. Among liberal Democrats, just 36% view
the court positively, down from 57%. Around two-thirds of Republicans
(65%) hold a positive view of the court, largely unchanged since last year. Americans see hardening of partisan lines
Congress continues to face gridlock on a variety of issues, and
members of both political parties are less willing than they were a year ago
to support concessions from their parties’ leaders to achieve results,
a January
survey found. Nearly half of Democrats (48%) want Biden to “stand up” to
Republicans on issues important to his voters, even if it makes it harder to
address key problems – an increase from the 37% who said this last year,
shortly before his inauguration. About three-quarters of Republicans (72%)
want GOP leaders to stand up to Biden, up 13 points from last year. Partisanship is also evident when it comes to the work of a select
committee in the Democratic-controlled House to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021,
attack on the U.S. Capitol. In the January
2022 survey, 45% of Americans overall said they are at least
somewhat confident that the committee’s investigation is fair and reasonable
while 54% said they are not too or not at all confident that this is the
case. Among Republicans, 79% said they have little or no confidence in the
fairness of the Jan. 6 committee’s investigation, including 46% who have no
confidence at all. By contrast, 65% of Democrats said they are at least
somewhat confident that the investigation is fair and reasonable, and 27%
said they are very confident. (PEW) FEBRUARY 25, 2022 731-43-16/Polls The Inflation Crisis: 74% Of Canadians Are Concerned About Inflation
In 2022
A new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of CanadaHelps.org reveals that
most Canadians (74%) are concerned about inflation. With inflation reaching
its highest level in 30 years it is not surprising that it is having a
profound effect on Canadians. Indeed, the vast majority (82%) expect their
financial situation to be negatively impacted in some way, including a
sizeable proportion (15%) who say that they won’t be able to afford basic
necessities (i.e., groceries, medicine, gas, etc.) and three in ten (29%)
would need to cut back on basic necessities, if high inflation continues. A
majority (52%) admit that they would need to reduce spending on
non-essentials (i.e., travel, entertainment, eating out), one in three (33%)
would need to reduce savings, fifteen percent (15%) would have to rely on
savings outright to cover basic expenses, and around one in five would have
to reduce debt repayments (19%) or charitable donations (22%), if high
inflation persists. The timing of high inflation is never ideal but in this case is
perhaps exacerbated by the fact that its arrival has coincided with a global
pandemic. It follows that, in 2022, most (71%) Canadians are concerned about
their quality of life being negatively impacted in some way by either high inflation,
the pandemic, extreme weather conditions, rising housing prices, mental
illness, or a combination of some or all of the aforementioned issues. Most
notably, one in five (19%) are concerned that they won’t be able to afford
basic necessities (e.g. food, medicine, energy) because of the impacts of
inflation and/or the pandemic. At one in three (34%), many Canadians expect to use or are already
using charitable services in 2022 to meet their essential needs (e.g. food,
shelter, etc.), most of which say they are or will need to do so in response
to the pandemic and/or high inflation. As it currently stands, as many as
eight percent (8%) claim to be using charitable services to meet their basic
needs, whereas twelve percent (12%) expect to require charitable support, in
response to high inflation specifically, at some point in 2022 to meet their
basic needs to cover food and shelter expenses, for
example. While many Canadians may require charitable support, in response to
high inflation and/or fallout from the pandemic, the survey results suggest
that fewer think they will be in a position to donate to charities in 2022.
Indeed, one in four (25%) plan to give less to charities in 2022 compared to
2021, including seventeen percent (17%) who cite the effects of inflation on
their finances as the reason why they will be donating less to charities in
2022. A little over one in ten (12%) indicate that they will be donating less
because they’re worried about the effect of the pandemic on their finances.
By comparison, just fifteen percent (15%) plan to give more to charities in
2022 than they did in 2021. It is noteworthy, however, that six percent (6%)
say they will give more to charities in 2022 because of the impact of
inflation. The survey offers evidence that charitable donations may already have
been declining, in 2021, as high inflation began to emerge as an issue during
the latter part of the year. Overall, nearly one-quarter (23%) report
donating less to charities in 2021 than did in 2020, with one in ten citing
high inflation (10%) or the pandemic (10%) as factors that limited their
ability to donate in 2021. Conversely, one in six (16%) claim to have donated
more to charity in 2021 than they did in 2020. Lastly, the survey finds that concerns over inflation are driving
expectations, as they relate to planned charitable behaviours and perceptions
of how inflation will be impactful in 2022:
In sum, the results of this poll suggest that higher than normal
inflation is causing Canadians to reduce spending and, in turn, charitable donations.
With fewer giving money and more potentially needing support, this will
likely put a strain on charities and households alike as 2022 progresses. (Ipsos Canada) 23 February 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/inflation-crisis-74-canadians-are-concerned-about-inflation-2022 AUSTRALIA
731-43-17/Polls 7.5 Million Australians Are Now Watching ‘Broadcast Video On Demand’
Such As 7plus, 9now, 10 Play And ABC IView
Viewership of ‘BVOD’ services grew strongly during the early stages
of the pandemic in 2020 with an increase of around 2.1 million viewers
(+39.5%) in 2020 compared to the December quarter 2019. This level of growth
was always going to be hard to maintain and over the last year an additional
130,000 viewers streamed BVOD services, an increase of 1.8% on 2020, for a
total of over 7.5 million viewers (35.5%). Notably, all five leading services have grown compared to two years
ago pre-pandemic, however ABC iView and SBS On Demand grew strongly during
2020 but lost viewers during 2021. In comparison, 7plus, 9Now and 10Play have
all substantially increased their viewership during each of the past two
years. ABC iView continues to be the clear market leader with 4.13 million
viewers in an average four weeks, up a large 985,000 (+31.3%) from two years
ago, although down 633,000 (-13.3%) on a year ago. SBS On Demand remains in second place and is now viewed by 2.86
million Australians representing an increase of 217,000 (+8.2%) from two
years ago although down 653,000 (-18.6%) from a year ago. The leader of the three traditional commercial broadcasters is the
Seven Network’s 7plus which is now viewed by 2.6 million Australians, an
increase of 727,000 (+38.8%) from a year ago. Close behind are the Nine Entertainment Company’s 9Now which is
viewed by 2.38 million Australians, up 318,000 (+15.4%) on a year ago and
Network 10’s 10 Play now viewed by 1.7 million Australians, up 358,000
(+26.7%). This new data comes from Roy Morgan Single Source, Australia’s most
comprehensive consumer survey, derived from in-depth interviews with over
60,000 Australians each year. Number of Australians watching Broadcast
Video on Demand (BVOD)
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, October - December
2019, n=13,526, October – December 2020, n=16,641, October – December 2021,
n=16,762. Base: Australians
aged 14+. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says viewership of ‘Video on Demand’
services offered by Free-to-Air broadcasters such as ABC iView, SBS On
Demand, 7plus, 9Now and 10 Play boomed during 2020 as Australia experienced a
nation-wide lockdown, however this growth levelled off in 2021: “Over 7.5 million Australians are now
watching at least one of the Video on Demand services offered by the ABC, SBS
and the leading commercial channels 7, 9 & 10 – growth of over 2.2
million (+42%) on 2019. However, there was only a marginal increase in
viewership of 130,000 (+1.8%) on a year ago. “All five services experienced large growth
in viewership during 2020 when the entire country was plunged into a
nation-wide lockdown in the early stages of the pandemic. However, the
across-the-board growth hasn’t been sustained in 2021, although the
traditional commercial broadcasters have notched up a second straight year of
growth. “The most impressive growth has been for
7Plus which has increased its viewership by 1,259,000 (+93.8%) from two years
ago pre-COVID and is up 532,000 (+39.7%) from a year ago to over 2.6 million.
7Plus is now the most watched Video on Demand service from any of the
traditional commercial broadcasters. “The other traditional commercial
broadcasters have also experienced rapid growth with viewership of 9Now up
985,000 (+70.5%) from two years ago to 2,383,000 and viewership for 10 Play
up 634,000 (+59.5%) from two years ago to 1,698,000. “However, despite the strong growth for
7Plus, 9Now and 10 Play all three still trail ABC iView and SBS On Demand.
ABC iView is the clear market leader with a total viewership of over 4.1
million, an increase of 985,000 (+31.3%) on two years ago, while SBS On
Demand has increased its viewership 217,000 (+8.2%) to 2,860,000 – to be just
ahead of 7 Plus. “In contrast to the traditional commercial
broadcasters, viewership of ABC iView and SBS On Demand has not maintained
the growth seen during the early stages of the pandemic and was down by the
end of 2021 compared with a year earlier. “The trends seen for the free Video on
Demand services offered by Australia’s ‘Free-to-Air’ broadcasters are similar
to those seen for the leading Subscription TV services. The more
well-established brands such as Netflix and Stan saw strong growth during the
early stages of the pandemic during 2020 but were unable to continue this
growth during 2021. “However, newer services including Foxtel’s
Binge & Kayo Sports, as well as newer entrants such as Disney+, have seen
consistently strong growth during each of the last two years. These trends
are explored in detail in a recent release on Australia’s Subscription TV
market: Foxtel, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video are the big
improvers for Subscription TV during 2021, but Netflix still the largest. “Looking forward, and with a widening array
of streaming services for consumers to choose from, the competition between
paid services and their free counterparts is only going to increase. The
‘boost’ provided to viewership by the unprecedented pandemic is unlikely to
be repeated and securing growth going forward will depend more heavily on
providing exciting and engaging content for viewers.” (Roy Morgan) February 22 2022 731-43-18/Polls ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Down Slightly By 1.4pts To 101.8
In The Third Week Of February
Consumer Confidence this week was down around the country with the
largest decreases in NSW and Tasmania. Bucking the trend, Victoria’s Consumer
Confidence increase 3pts (107.8). Driving the decreases were falls in sentiment regarding the performance
of the Australian economy over the next year and whether now is a ‘good/bad
time to buy’ major household items. Current financial conditions
Future financial conditions
Current economic conditions
Future economic conditions
Time to buy a major household item
ANZ Head of Australian Economics, David
Plank, commented: Inflation expectations rose 0.1ppt to 5.1%
last week, its highest since December 2014. With petrol prices at record
highs during the past few weeks the lift in inflation expectations is not
surprising. Consumer confidence dropped 1.4% despite the easing of COVID restrictions
in NSW and the imminent reopening of international borders to tourists. The
expectations of higher inflation might have had a dampening effect on overall
sentiment. Confidence dropped by 5.6% in NSW, 0.7% in QLD, 0.8% in SA and
2.8% in WA, while it increased in Victoria by 2.9%." (Roy Morgan) February 22 2022 Source: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8920-anz-roy-morgan-consumer-confidence-february-22-202202210535 MULTICOUNTRY
STUDIES
731-43-19/Polls Three Quarters Of People In Global Survey Including 28 Countries Want
Single Use Plastics Banned
An average of three-quarters of people across 28 countries agree that
single-use plastic should be banned as soon as possible, the ‘Attitudes
towards single-use plastic’ survey by Ipsos in conjunction with Plastic Free
July has revealed. Latin American and BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries
show the highest levels of agreement with banning single-use plastic, at 88%
and 80% respectively, while North America has the lowest levels of agreement
at 61%. The highest levels of agreement with banning single-use plastics are
seen in Colombia (89%), Chile and Mexico (both 88%), and Argentina and China
(both 84%), and the lowest levels in Japan (37%), the United States (55%) and
Canada (66%). The study was conducted among 20,513 adults under the age of 75
across 28 countries on Ipsos’s Global Advisor online platform. On average, 88% of people surveyed across 28 countries believe it is
essential, very important or fairly important to have an international treaty
to combat plastic pollution. Again, Latin America (93%), BRIC countries (91%)
and the Middle East/Africa (90%) are the regions with the highest levels of
agreement. The five countries with the highest levels of agreement are Mexico
(96%), Brazil (95%), Colombia (94%), and Chile and Peru (both 92%). Those
with the lowest ones are Japan (70%), the US (78%) and Canada (79%). Clear majorities of consumers in every country and a global average
of 82% also agree they prefer products that use as little plastic packaging
as possible. Again, Latin America and BRIC countries show the highest levels
of agreement at 89% and 84% respectively. At the country level, China,
Mexico, and Colombia top the list with 92% agreement, followed by Chile (90%)
and Peru (87%). Again, Japan is the country with the lowest percentage
agreeing (56%), followed by the US (71%) and the Netherlands (73%). Vast majorities of people in all 28 countries agree that
manufacturers and retailers should take responsibility for reducing, reusing,
and recycling plastic packaging, with a global average of 85%. Latin
Americans are those who are most in agreement ( 89%), followed by Europeans.
Public opinion in Japan is not as unanimous with only 72% agreeing with the
statement. The five countries where support for having manufacturers and
retailers take responsibility for reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic
packaging is highest are Brazil, China, Great Britain, and Mexico, all at
90%, and Sweden at 89%, while those least likely to agree were Japan (72%),
Saudi Arabia and South Korea both at 79%. Plastic Free July®, is a global movement (by the not-for-profit
Plastic Free Foundation) helping people take action to end plastic waste by
choosing to refuse single-use plastic. The Ipsos study will be featured by
Plastic Free July and WWF leading up to the upcoming UN Environmental
Assembly (UNEA) 5.2. One decision to be made at UNEA will be whether to start
negotiations on a new global agreement to reduce plastic waste and
unsustainable production of single use plastics, and address marine
plastic pollution. Ipsos Australia Director, Stuart Clark, said: “These results make it very clear that there is a
strong consensus globally that single-use plastics should be taken out of
circulation as quickly as possible.” “The fact that there is such strong support
for an international treaty to address the single-use plastics shows that people
see this as a challenge that all countries have to solve together.” “People want to do the right thing. An
average of 82 percent of people surveyed want to buy products that minimise
plastic packaging. They want that change to happen quickly and they want
their governments to support it.” (Ipsos Australia) 22 February 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-au/three-quarters-people-want-single-use-plastics-banned 731-43-20/Polls A Survey In 5 European Countries About Sepsis Demonstrates The Lack
Of Awareness And An Expectation For Faster Diagnostic Capabilities
Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by an excessive
immune response to a serious infection. Every year worldwide 49 million
people develop sepsis, of whom 11 million do not survive. bioMérieux and the UK Sepsis Trust have together commissioned a
survey in five European countries to better understand awareness, attitudes
and expectations of the general population on sepsis. The main findings of
this survey can be summarized as below: Awareness of the term “sepsis” is low among
the surveyed adult (18+) general population Knowledge of the term “sepsis” is low among the surveyed general
adult population. Only 52% have heard of sepsis, the lowest awareness in
comparison to other listed conditions. Awareness of sepsis varies greatly
between countries: it is highest in the UK (82%) and Germany (83%), it is
lower in Sweden (55%), and significantly lower in Italy (33%) and France
(7%). Moreover, only 56% of those aware of sepsis know at least one of the
listed symptoms of sepsis, among which the most frequent are: lack of energy
and being difficult to wake (29%), mottled or discoloured skin (26%), and
bluish or pale skin (24%). Awareness of symptoms is higher in the UK and in
adults under the age of 40. Attitudes towards sepsis highlight the
importance of education Only 29% of surveyed adults stated that they are personally concerned
about getting sepsis. Among those who had heard of Sepsis, if they were with
someone who was worried that they had this condition, only two thirds (66%)
would either go to the emergency department or call an emergency line, which
is the right behaviour in such a situation. Dr Ron Daniels BEM, Chief Executive and founder, UK Sepsis Trust
declared: "For a condition which is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths
worldwide, these important results highlight significant issues with regard
to awareness of sepsis in some countries. They demonstrate that there is huge
geographical variation and that, in a decision which could literally make the
difference between life and death, one in three adults would still respond
inappropriately. We call on all European governments to prioritize sepsis
awareness, particularly relevant as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
From a list of actions, surveyed adults are most likely to agree that
the following would improve the management of sepsis and the problem of
antimicrobial resistance: more education for the general public on early
sepsis symptoms (78%), better access to easy-to-understand information about
sepsis (75%), and faster diagnostic tools that can be used to confirm sepsis
(75%). Mark Miller, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer,
bioMérieux explained: “This survey shows the need for both awareness and
timely diagnostics to combat sepsis. Diagnostics are key tools to allow the
clinician to diagnose sepsis and the related infection, to adapt
antimicrobial treatment and to manage organ failures.” (Ipsos MORI) 22 February 2022 731-43-21/Polls On Average Across 30 Countries, 71% Of Adults Do Not Expect That
Covid-19 Will Ever Stop Spreading Entirely
A new Ipsos survey for the World Economic Forum finds that, on
average across 30 countries, 71% of adults do not expect that COVID-19 will
ever stop spreading entirely – and in Australia the figure is 82%. A majority of adults in every country – from 51% in China to 85% in
the Netherlands – agree that “even with all the measures being taken, we
will never be able to fully stop the spread of COVID-19 and variants.” However, the survey reveals vastly different levels of popular
support for mandatory vaccination across countries. In India, China,
Malaysia, Singapore, and throughout Latin America, more than 75% support
“making a COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for anyone eligible to receive one.” In
most of Central and Eastern Europe as well as in the United States, majorities
are opposed to it. Views about requiring proof of vaccination to be allowed
in various facilities (e.g., sporting venues, restaurants, workplaces) mirror
those on mandatory vaccination and vary similarly across countries. Australia ranks close to the global average in terms of support for
mandatory vaccinations at 65%. Over the past year, support for vaccination
mandates has grown significantly in Australia, China, Italy, Germany, and
France, but it has decreased in Japan and the U.S. These are the main findings of a survey of 20,525 adults aged 18-74
from 30 countries conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform
between January 21 and February 4, 2022. Key Australian findings
Ipsos Australia Director, David Elliott,
said: “The findings of this latest Ipsos Global Survey show how citizens
around the world now broadly accept that COVID-19 wasn’t a fleeting thing and
that it is now something we will have to live with and adapt to. The
fact that Australia is among the most likely to agree that we will never stop
the spread suggests the change in commentary from both the Australian
Government and the states and territories has traction and is now widely
accepted. In line with this, it seems that most in Australia accept
that vaccinations have a key role in our ability to live with the coronavirus
and to do so in a way that is as close to the ‘old normal’ as possible. “On another note, while there is strong support for various
vaccination measures, there is still a significant proportion of the
population against these measures, suggesting that there continues to be a
split in the Australian community being driven by both COVID-19 and COVID-19
vaccinations.” Belief COVID-19 will never stop spreading While it is held by more than an average of 71% of adults across the
30 countries, the expectation that COVID-19 is with us permanently is
especially prevalent in high-income countries of Northern Europe, North
America, and Asia-Pacific.
Support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination On average across all 30 countries surveyed, 63% support “making a
COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for anyone eligible for it” while 32% oppose it
and 5% don’t know. Support exceeds 75% in emerging countries of Asia and Latin America,
led by India (89%) Peru (86%). In contrast, opposition dominates in Romania
(57%), Hungary (54%), Russia (53%), the United States (51%), and the
Netherlands (51%).
Support for making COVID vaccination mandatory either for all adults
aged 50+ or for those aged 18+ is generally no different than for “anyone
eligible” although there are a few exceptions:
Comparisons with a similar survey conducted in April 2021 in 12
countries show that support for mandating vaccination of all adults aged 18+
has grown significantly in China (+14 percentage points), Italy (+10),
Australia (+10), Germany (+9), and France (+6), but decreased in Japan (-13)
and the U.S. (-8) since then. Support for requiring proof of vaccination Support for requiring proof of vaccination to enter sporting events
(71% on average globally) and to return to “normal activities such as travel”
(69%) is slightly higher than for eating inside restaurants (66%) and
returning to the workplace (64%). Geographic differences in the level of
support for requiring proof of vaccination for each situation mirror those
for vaccination mandates in general. (Ipsos Australia) 24
February 2022 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-au/people-all-over-world-agree-covid-here-stay |
