ITV News Index 22 November 2011

The latest ITV News Index published on 22 November 2011.

Date Published: 22 Nov 2011

Categories: Energy | Financial Services | Media | Politics | Public and communities | UK

Description

COMRES/ ITV NEWS POLL: MAJORITY AGREE GOVERNMENT MORE WORRIED ABOUT PROTECTING BANKS THAN PUBLIC

The latest Index poll results, conducted by ComRes and to be broadcast on ITV News at Ten tonight, reveal that a majority of the British public (65%) believe that in the current financial situation, the Government is more concerned with protecting the banks than the British public. Just one in five (19%) disagree, while 16% are not sure.
 
68% disagree that pay inequalities between the highest paid and lowest paid in the country have got better over the past 20 years. Just 16% agree with this and similarly 16% don’t know.

Nearly three quarters of the public (71%) believe that having big pay inequalities is bad for social stability within Britain and just 16% disagree, while 13% are not sure.

Two thirds of people (64%) think that it is immoral for people running large companies to be paid millions of pounds. In a similar vein, when asked if, given that footballers and pop stars are paid millions, business leaders should also be able to earn that much, just one in three (33%) agree, though more than half (55%) wouldn't put business leaders in the same pay bracket - suggesting it's wrong for them to earn so much.

Finally, half (50%) disagree that having pay inequalities is a good thing as it incentivises people to know they can earn a lot of money if they word hard, while 37% agree with it. Incidentally, men are more likely than women to agree that if footballers and pop stars can be paid millions there is nothing wrong with high performing business leaders doing the same and that having pay inequalities is a good thing as it incentivises people to know they can earn a lot of money if they work hard.

Methodology: ComRes interviewed 2039 GB adults online between 18th and 20th November 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.