ITV News Cuts Index

Latest ITV News Cuts Index published 9 March 2011.

Date Published: 09 Mar 2011

Categories: Economy | Financial Services | Politics | Public and communities | UK

Description

A ComRes poll for ITV News shows that one in four are concerned they will not be able to afford mortgage repayments if interest rates rise

As the Monetary Policy Committee meet to decide on potential increases to interest rates, the latest installment of the Cuts Index, conducted by ComRes and to be broadcast on ITV News at Ten, will show that nearly one in four people (23%) believe that they will not be able to afford mortgage or loan repayments by the end of this year if interest rates rise.

One in three people (33%) say that a significant rise will put them in severe financial difficulty, compared to 50% who disagree. Meanwhile, nearly half of the population (48%) will put off making big financial decisions until later in the year.

Asked whether the coalition government is cutting too much too quickly, 60% agree compared to 45% when first asked last October, while one in three (29%) disagree with this sentiment.

More than half of the population (53%) say they are now worse off financially than three months ago and that figure has been rising steadily since the Cuts Index began in October. Just 12% say their personal financial situation is better than it was at the beginning of the year.

The findings of this installment of the Cuts Index will be broadcast on ITV News at Ten on Wednesday 9th March.

Continuous polling by ComRes will take place over the next 12 months to chart the public’s views on these topics of the coalition, financial wellbeing, public services and personal happiness as austerity measures start to bite.

ComRes interviewed 2024 GB adults online between 4th and 6th March 2011. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults.  ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.