2021 Budget Snap Poll – 27th October

Snap polling after Rishi Sunak’s 2021 Budget

Majority approve of Chancellor’s Budget – Snap Poll from Savanta ComRes

More than half (53%) say they approve of the Chancellor’s Budget today (27 October), while just 15% disapprove
Public split over whether commitment to build 180,000 new affordable homes is (43%) or is not (44%) enough to help the UK’s housing needs
Majority (55%) say commitment to reduce air passenger duty for domestic flights undermines commitment to climate change ahead of hosting COP26
Public almost three times more likely to say they trust Rishi Sunak (37%) to manage the economy than Boris Johnson (13%)

A majority (53%) of the UK public approve of the measures announced by the Chancellor today in his Budget, according to a snap poll from Savanta ComRes.

After briefly outlining the measures in the poll, the public are three and a half times more likely to say that they approve (53%) than disapprove (15%). Those that had heard more about the Budget were more likely to approve (66%) than those who had heard less (50%) or had not heard anything until the poll (41%), indicating that approval of the measures will likely increase with further coverage.

In a Budget that contained little bad news, and will likely be seen as the Chancellor’s most positive Budget to date, the public are three times more likely to say that they trust Rishi Sunak (37%) to manage the economy compared to the Prime Minister (13%).

Despite this giveaway Budget, the public are still more likely to see Labour as the party of increased public spending (42% vs 28% for the Conservatives), while the Tories continue to be seen as the party of economic responsibility (39% vs 26% for Labour).

However, despite today’s Budget, the Conservatives are more likely to be seen as the party of tax rises compared to Labour (39% vs 30%), and even by supporters of their own party, where 36% of 2019 Conservatives say that the Tories are the party of tax rises, compared to 34% who reserve that moniker for Labour.

A third (34%) of 2019 Conservatives do say that they would support paying more in tax to fund these spending commitments outlined by the Chancellor, which 62% of Conservatives approve of.

On specific commitments, the public are split over whether the commitment to build 180,000 affordable homes is (43%) or is not (44%) enough to help the UK’s housing needs, while 55%, including half (49%) of Conservatives, say that reducing air passenger duty for domestic flights undermines the UK’s commitment to climate change, ahead of hosting COP26 next week.

Commenting on the findings, Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at Savanta ComRes says,

“It’s unsurprising to see such high approval numbers for a Budget that contained almost no grim readings, and I’m sure for the Chancellor that was a welcome change compared to the context of many of his major addresses to the House since he stepped into No.11. The economic credibility for his party, and for him personally, is high, and I’m sure we’ll also see that reflected in some of his personal ratings in our next political tracker.

The only key danger for the government here is being seen as the party of tax rises; traditionally, voters do not reward those who raise taxes at the ballot box, and while this Budget has high approval, the fact that the Conservatives cannot shake recent tax rises announcements may cause some concern, if not immediate alarm.”

Date Published: 27/10/2021

Categories: Politics | Public and communities

Client: Savanta ComRes

Methodology

Savanta ComRes interviewed 1,008 UK adults in 27 Octover 2021. All fieldwork was conducted after the Chancellor’s Budget statement to the House of Commons. Data were weighted to be representative of all UK adults by age, sex, region and SEG. Savanta ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.