The View from Westminster: Ipsos MORI MPs Survey 1978 - 2014

The View from Westminster

The Ipsos MORI MPs survey 1978-2014 9th September 2014

The Ipsos MORI MPs Survey

Sample

An initial sample of 421 MPs were contacted and quotas on

ministerial status within party were set to ensure representativeness

This resulted in 143 interviews in total, with a breakdown as follows:

Base 143

58

66

15

Other 4

Fieldwork Dates

9 June – 6 August 2014

• For almost 40 years Ipsos MORI has been helping clients explore their relationship, reputation

and communications with Members of Parliament.

• Twice a year we conduct around 100 face-to-face interviews with MPs and the following slides

present some of the findings from the Summer 2014 wave, along with a major review of our trend

data back to the 1970s.

• This is a high quality, representative survey conducted face-to-face by our expert, highly trained

interviewers. We do not use email or online data collection as we cannot be sure that the

questionnaire will be filled out by the MPs themselves.

• We ensure those interviewed closely represent the profile of the House of Commons and data are

weighted to reflect the balance between ministerial and other positions.

Summer 2014

Contents page

Content Slide

Economic Optimism 4

Issues Facing Britain 8

Issues Facing the Public Sector 19

Issues Facing the Private Sector 25

Parliamentary Communications and

Lobbying

33

Trust in Politics and Business 45

EU Membership 63

Scottish Referendum 70

Election 2015 72

Most Impressive MP 75

Economic

Optimism Confidence in the British economy heading

into the election

Prospects for economy – MPs are optimistic the economy will

improve in the next 12 months, Conservatives in particular

Source: Ipsos MORI MPs survey

Q Do you think the general economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same or get worse in the next 12

months?

67

15

2 15

67% Improve

2% Get worse

Improve Stay the same Get worse Don’t know

Base: All MPs (143), Conservative MPs (58), Labour MPs (66) asked, Summer 2014

76

4

19

57 32

5 7

Prospects for the economy – MPs’ optimism switches depending on

whether they are in power or not

65 76

52

-100

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

All MPs Conservative LabourNet Improve ±


Q Do you think the general economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same or get worse in the next

12 months?

General

Election

General

Election

General

Election

%


-100

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

General

public

Captains of industry

MPs

Economic optimism among MPs, Captains of Industry and the

General Public follows a similar pattern Q Do you think the general economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same or get worse in the next

12 months?

Base: Members of Parliament/British Captains of Industry/General Public (c. 1,000 British adults each month), 1995-2014

General

Election

General

Election General

Election

General

Election

25

93

65

Net Improve ±

%

Source: Ipsos MORI

Issues facing

Britain The issues that MPs think are important, and

the issues the public are telling MPs are

important

6

17

13

26

20

17

31

18

15

26

51

11

4

7

5

11

18

11

25

24

18

55

Education

Poverty/inequality

Housing

Cost of living

National Health Service

Europe

Employment / job security

Defence/foreign affairs/internationalterrorism

Race relations / immigration

Getting the economy back into growth

The economy

Issues facing Britain – While the economy still clearly leads as the

most important issue…


Conservative MPs Labour MPs

Q What do you think are the most important issues facing Britain today?

52

22

20

20

18

18

15

14

10

9

9

All MPs

% Top mentions


52

18

22 20

15

20

14

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

S10 W10 S11 W11 S12 W12 S13 W13 S14

Cost of living

…It has declined in importance since 2013. Defence/terrorism has

increased rapidly in importance in this latest survey Q What do you think are the most important issues facing Britain today?

Economy

NHS

Employment Get economy back into growth

Top seven mentions

Base: All MPs asked each wave

Immigration

Defence/Terrorism

%


Postbag – Conservative MPs say they are approached most about

immigration while housing is the key subject for Labour MPs

66

61

58

56

54

43

42

39

33

30

23

23

21

20

Asylum/Immigration/ refugees

Benefits

Housing

Health Service

Badger culls

Child Support/Child Support Agency

Care of the elderly

Education/schools

Animal Research/ Experimentation

Social security

Famine/overseas aid

Pensions

Tax Credits

Hunting with dogs/fox hunting

All MPs | % Top mentions

Q Which of the subjects on this list, if any, do you receive most letters about in your post bag, or receive

most approaches about from individuals in clinics or other ways?

Base: All MPs (143), Conservative MPs (58), Labour MPs (66) asked, Summer 2014:

Con. (%) Lab. (%)

75 52

61 59

42 74

50 62

52 53

38 49

44 38

48 31

19 52

19 43

19 28

27 19

13 30

10 30


Postbag Trends – MPs were reporting immigration as a key Postbag

issue before it registered on our general public Issues Index

MPs Question: Which of the subjects on this list, if any, do you receive most letters about in your post bag, or receive most

approaches about from individuals in clinics or other ways?

General Public Issues Index Question: What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Se

p-7

4

Jul-

75

Ma

y-7

6

Ma

r-77

Jan-7

8

No

v-7

8

Se

p-7

9

Jul-

80

Ma

y-8

1

Ma

r-82

Jan

-83

No

v-8

3

Se

p-8

4

Jul-

85

Ma

y-8

6

Mar-

87

Jan

-88

No

v-8

8

Se

p-8

9

Jul-

90

Ma

y-9

1

Ma

r-92

Jan

-93

No

v-9

3

Se

p-9

4

Jul-

95

May-9

6

Ma

r-97

Jan

-98

No

v-9

8

Se

p-9

9

Jul-

00

Ma

y-0

1

Ma

r-02

Jan

-03

No

v-0

3

Se

p-0

4

Jul-05

Ma

y-0

6

Ma

r-07

Jan

-08

No

v-0

8

Se

p-0

9

Jul-

10

Ma

y-1

1

Ma

r-12

Jan

-13

No

v-1

3

Issues Index MPs' Postbag

%

% Immigration

Source: Ipsos MOR Issues Index and Ipsos MORI MPs survey

Postbag Trends – Housing has always been much more of a Postbag

issue than we measure in the general public Issues Index




0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Se

p-7

4

Au

g-7

5

Ju

l-7

6

Ju

n-7

7

Ma

y-7

8

Ap

r-7

9

Ma

r-8

0

Feb

-81

Ja

n-8

2

De

c-8

2

No

v-8

3

Oct-

84

Sep-8

5

Au

g-8

6

Ju

l-8

7

Ju

n-8

8

Ma

y-8

9

Ap

r-9

0

Ma

r-9

1

Feb

-92

Ja

n-9

3

De

c-9

3

Nov-9

4

Oct-

95

Se

p-9

6

Au

g-9

7

Ju

l-9

8

Ju

n-9

9

Ma

y-0

0

Ap

r-0

1

Ma

r-0

2

Feb

-03

Jan-0

4

De

c-0

4

No

v-0

5

Oct-

06

Se

p-0

7

Au

g-0

8

Ju

l-0

9

Ju

n-1

0

Ma

y-1

1

Ap

r-1

2

Mar-

13

Feb

-14

Issues Index MPs' Postbag % Housing

%


Postbag Trends – NHS/Healthcare has been a relatively consistent

Postbag issue since the 1990s, but more variable among public




0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Se

p-7

4

Au

g-7

5

Ju

l-7

6

Ju

n-7

7

Ma

y-7

8

Ap

r-7

9

Ma

r-8

0

Feb

-81

Ja

n-8

2

De

c-8

2

No

v-8

3

Oct-

84

Sep-8

5

Au

g-8

6

Ju

l-8

7

Ju

n-8

8

Ma

y-8

9

Ap

r-9

0

Ma

r-9

1

Feb

-92

Ja

n-9

3

De

c-9

3

Nov-9

4

Oct-

95

Se

p-9

6

Au

g-9

7

Ju

l-9

8

Ju

n-9

9

Ma

y-0

0

Ap

r-0

1

Ma

r-0

2

Feb

-03

Jan-0

4

De

c-0

4

No

v-0

5

Oct-

06

Se

p-0

7

Au

g-0

8

Ju

l-0

9

Ju

n-1

0

Ma

y-1

1

Ap

r-1

2

Mar-

13

Feb

-14

Issues Index MPs' Postbag % NHS/Healthcare


%

Postbag Trends – Crime trends in Postbag and Issues Index follow each

other relatively closely – both show a significant decline recently




0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Se

p-7

4

Au

g-7

5

Ju

l-7

6

Ju

n-7

7

Ma

y-7

8

Ap

r-7

9

Ma

r-8

0

Feb

-81

Ja

n-8

2

De

c-8

2

No

v-8

3

Oct-

84

Sep-8

5

Au

g-8

6

Ju

l-8

7

Ju

n-8

8

Ma

y-8

9

Ap

r-9

0

Ma

r-9

1

Feb

-92

Ja

n-9

3

De

c-9

3

Nov-9

4

Oct-

95

Se

p-9

6

Au

g-9

7

Ju

l-9

8

Ju

n-9

9

Ma

y-0

0

Ap

r-0

1

Ma

r-0

2

Feb

-03

Jan-0

4

De

c-0

4

No

v-0

5

Oct-

06

Se

p-0

7

Au

g-0

8

Ju

l-0

9

Ju

n-1

0

Ma

y-1

1

Ap

r-1

2

Mar-

13

Feb

-14

Issues Index MPs' Postbag % Crime/Law/Order


%

Postbag Trends – Education more of Postbag issue than a concern

among the general public in recent years




0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Se

p-7

4

Au

g-7

5

Ju

l-7

6

Ju

n-7

7

Ma

y-7

8

Ap

r-7

9

Ma

r-8

0

Feb

-81

Ja

n-8

2

De

c-8

2

No

v-8

3

Oct-

84

Sep-8

5

Au

g-8

6

Ju

l-8

7

Ju

n-8

8

Ma

y-8

9

Ap

r-9

0

Ma

r-9

1

Feb

-92

Ja

n-9

3

De

c-9

3

Nov-9

4

Oct-

95

Se

p-9

6

Au

g-9

7

Ju

l-9

8

Ju

n-9

9

Ma

y-0

0

Ap

r-0

1

Ma

r-0

2

Feb

-03

Jan-0

4

De

c-0

4

No

v-0

5

Oct-

06

Se

p-0

7

Au

g-0

8

Ju

l-0

9

Ju

n-1

0

Ma

y-1

1

Ap

r-1

2

Mar-

13

Feb

-14

Issues Index MPs' Postbag % Education


%

Postbag Trends – Unemployment mentions in Postbag have tracked general

public concerns closely in recent years MPs Question: Which of the subjects on this list, if any, do you receive most letters about in your post bag, or receive most



0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Se

p-7

4

Au

g-7

5

Ju

l-7

6

Ju

n-7

7

Ma

y-7

8

Ap

r-7

9

Ma

r-8

0

Feb

-81

Ja

n-8

2

De

c-8

2

No

v-8

3

Oct-

84

Sep-8

5

Au

g-8

6

Ju

l-8

7

Ju

n-8

8

Ma

y-8

9

Ap

r-9

0

Ma

r-9

1

Feb

-92

Ja

n-9

3

De

c-9

3

Nov-9

4

Oct-

95

Se

p-9

6

Au

g-9

7

Ju

l-9

8

Ju

n-9

9

Ma

y-0

0

Ap

r-0

1

Ma

r-0

2

Feb

-03

Jan-0

4

De

c-0

4

No

v-0

5

Oct-

06

Se

p-0

7

Au

g-0

8

Ju

l-0

9

Ju

n-1

0

Ma

y-1

1

Ap

r-1

2

Mar-

13

Feb

-14

Issues Index MPs' Postbag % Unemployment


%

Postbag Trends – Benefits tend not to be a major concern in the Issues

Index – but a significant (if erratic) Postbag issue




0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Se

p-7

4

Au

g-7

5

Ju

l-7

6

Ju

n-7

7

Ma

y-7

8

Ap

r-7

9

Ma

r-8

0

Feb

-81

Ja

n-8

2

De

c-8

2

No

v-8

3

Oct-

84

Sep-8

5

Au

g-8

6

Ju

l-8

7

Ju

n-8

8

Ma

y-8

9

Ap

r-9

0

Ma

r-9

1

Feb

-92

Ja

n-9

3

De

c-9

3

Nov-9

4

Oct-

95

Se

p-9

6

Au

g-9

7

Ju

l-9

8

Ju

n-9

9

Ma

y-0

0

Ap

r-0

1

Ma

r-0

2

Feb

-03

Jan-0

4

De

c-0

4

No

v-0

5

Oct-

06

Se

p-0

7

Au

g-0

8

Ju

l-0

9

Ju

n-1

0

Ma

y-1

1

Ap

r-1

2

Mar-

13

Feb

-14

Issues Index MPs' Postbag % Benefits


%

Issues facing the

Public Sector The issues facing the public sector both

now, and looking forward to the next

parliament

11

20

14

15

11

14

11

4

16

8

8

57

33

12

12

20

11

12

18

6

14

7

Lack of investment

Public services under pressure

Sustaining service with reducedbudgets

Quality of service

Lack of resources

Reorganisation of publicservices

Increased workloads with fewerstaff

Prospect of cuts

Inefficiency

Ageing population

Problems arising fromeconomic crisis

Issues facing public services today – Resourcing and budget

pressures the clear current theme …

% Top mentions

Q What do you think are the most important problems facing our public services today?


30

25

14

13

13

12

12

11

11

10

8

All MPs



0

18

13

14

19

7

20

28

31

19

5

5

11

13

30

27

24

41

Digital security

Impact of cuts on Local Authorities

Managing public expectations

Increasing demand on public services

Spending cuts to public services

Doing more for less

Delivering social care

Lack of funds for investment in thefuture

Demand of an increasingly elderlypopulation

…while our ageing population the key longer-term pressure


Q And what do you think will be the most important problems facing our public services by the end of the next parliament in

2020?

Base: All MPs (73), Conservative MPs (32) and Labour MPs (31),asked, Summer MPs 2014

All MPs

36

25

24

22

16

13

10

10

10

% Top mentions


Ageing population, there will be more elderly people and

there will be less people paying for it. Immigration, it will

cause a perception of too many people in the country

Labour MP

Maintaining service

levels with less cash

which means

inevitably there will

have to be a very

hard look at things

which should not be

done by the public

sector at all and

probably also means

looking more openly

at some of the

different ways of

combining types of

financing, e.g. in

health whether it is

charging for GP

appointments or

whatever

Conservative MP The need for investment in the delivery of services and demands placed upon

particularly the health and caring services from an ageing population

Labour MP

The cumulative impact of debt. Debt

interest payments are now the third

biggest government budget, and the

bigger it gets the more everything else

gets squeezed. Also a general lack of

efficiency in the delivery of public

services

Conservative MP

We are going to have a fracturing of public services, so there is a wider group

of people involved and people at a local level doing much more their own thing

and that is going to mean you haven't got the level of oversight you have at the

moment

Labour MP Levels of funding, in general they will be

smaller in real terms than they have now.

Quality of management, if you want to deliver

things in an innovative way you need

innovative managers and I am not sure we

have them

Liberal Democrat MP

Issues facing the Public Sector in 2020 Q And what do you think will be the most important problems facing our public services by the end of the next parliament in

2020?


68%

93%

36%

39%

12%

67%

18%

2%

40%

48%

75%

19%

Agree Neither/nor Disagree

Cuts and Austerity – Cuts to public spending seen as more likely

than tax increases 2015 onwards – but splits along clear party lines Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?


A further reduction in

public spending is

inevitable in the next

parliament

Tax rises are

inevitable in the next

parliament


Most MPs think the public don’t realise what cuts are coming – but

Conservatives are more optimistic that the public will accept them Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?


The general public

have a good

understanding of the

likely cuts and austerity

measures coming in

the next parliament

The general public will

accept that further cuts

and austerity

measures are

necessary in the next

parliament

14%

21%

7%

42%

56%

25%

74%

67%

82%

38%

16%

63%



Issues facing the

Private Sector The issues that businesses in Britain need to

be keeping track of

Issues facing British Business – Conservative MPs much more

concerned about over-regulation than Labour MPs

40

22

19

16

16

15

14

13

13

10

37

41

19

11

26

8

14

8

12

15

43

3

20

23

7

23

17

18

13

7

Skills shortage

Over regulation

General economic conditions

Getting banks to lend

Access to Finance

Europe

Foreign competition

World trade/exports

Competitiveness

Taxation/inheritence tax


Q What do you think are the most important problems facing British business and industry today?


All MPs

% Top mentions


Issues facing British businesses – A skills shortage is currently the

most important problem, bank lending now less of a concern

Base: All MPs asked each wave (c.100-150 MPs)

Q What do you think are the most important problems facing British business and industry today?

16

40

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Dec-07 Jul-08 Dec-08 Jul-09 Dec-09 Jul-10 Dec-10 Jul-11 Dec-11 Jul-12 Dec-12 Jul-13 Dec-13 Jul-14

Top six mentions – All MPs

%


Getting banks to lend

Skills shortage

Issues facing British businesses – A clear partisan divide over

importance of over-regulation Q What do you think are the most important problems facing British business and industry today?

22

3

41

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

S01 W01 S02 W02 S03 W03 S04 W04 S05 W05 S06 W06 S07 W07 S08 W08 S09 W09 S10 W10 S11 W11 S12 W12 S13 W13 S14

% Over-regulation

%

Source: Ipsos MORI MPs survey Base: All MPs asked each wave (c.100-150 MPs)

Conservative MPs

All MPs

Labour MPs

33%

9%

59%

44%

22%

71%

37%

56%

12%

18%

31%


Labour MPs more likely to say industry and commerce should pay

more attention to their social and environmental responsibilities Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Industry and commerce

do not pay enough

attention to their social

responsibilities


should be doing more

to address

environmental issues

Base: All MPs (56), Conservative MPs (27) and Labour MPs (20),asked, Summer MPs 2014 Source: Ipsos MORI MPs survey

15%

6%

34%

8%

26%

55%

81%

15%

66%

100%

11%


Conservative MPs clearly against foreign protection and more

regulation – Labour MPs more split Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

British industry and

commerce should be

protected from

foreign takeover

Industry and

commerce need

more regulation

Base: All MPs (56), Conservative MPs (27) and Labour MPs (20),asked, Summer MPs 2014 Source: Ipsos MORI MPs survey

3

11

23

9

21

14

31

17

24

54

60

16

12

6

22

12

22

12

35

38

25

60

Tourism

Oil and Gas

Construction

Farming and agriculture

Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Aerospace and defense

High Street Retail

Electricity and Power

Technology and the internet

Manufacturing

Transport

Both main parties agree on need for support for transport – but

significant differences on other industries…


Q Looking at this list of industry sectors, which two or three of them do you think need the most government support over

the next 5 years?


56

40

31

26

20

19

17

16

15

12

12

All MPs

% Top mentions


17

10

19

10

19

13

41

40

32

61

6

15

15

31

33

34

12

27

52

42

Aerospace and Defence

Oil and Gas

Transport

Electricity and Power

Financial services

Banking

Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Construction

Technology and the internet

Manufacturing

…and construction seen as more important to growth than in need of

support


Q And which two or three of them do you think are the most important for growing the UK economy over the next 5

years?


55

41

31

24

24

24

22

17

14

13

All MPs

% Top mentions


Parliamentary

communications

and lobbying Attitudes to political lobbying and insight into

how MPs would prefer to be communicated

with

Judgment of communications with MPs – communicating face-to-face

and on issues of relevance to constituency are key

29

22

17

15

12

11

11

9

8

8

8

Communicate on subjects relevant to constituency

Personal contact/face to face meetings

Communicate on subjects of interest to MPs

Target key individual MPs

Regular contact

Meetings/seminars

Keep contact in context / relevant information

Less volume of information

Clear/straightforward communication

Send short briefs

More credible information

Q Turning now to communications, what are the most important things companies, organisations and public service

organisations can do to develop and maintain good relations with MPs?


% %

30 29

18 24

14 23

10 23

17 7

12 9

11 13

4 15

5 11

8 7

11 6


All MPs | % Top mentions

64

58

55

52

46

38

23

21

18

17

12

7

1

21

28

30

34

25

36

45

44

49

42

38

27

13

5

5

6

3

18

13

19

15

18

27

27

45

50

4

3

9

6

3

10

11

20

3

7

9

9

9

10

10

9

9

11

9

10

10

9

9

Acts with honesty and integrity

Treatment of customers

Is Trustworthy

Quality of products or services

Treatment of employees

Quality of management

Openness and transparency

Economic contribution to Britain

Financial Performance

Public reputation

Environmental and Social responsibility

Industry Leadership

Communication with MPs

Extremely important (5) 4 3 2 Not at all important (1) Don't know

Judgement of companies – two-thirds of MPs say honesty is

extremely important in judging companies Q How important are each of the following factors when you judge a company or organisation?

Base: All MPs (143), Conservative MPs (58), Labour MPs (66) asked, Summer 2014: Source: Ipsos MORI MPs survey

Conservatives nearly twice as favourable towards lobbying than Labour

MPs – but nearly all think the public have an unfavourable view


4

8

43

53

31

3

6

27

17

40

4

9

17

19

14

59

51

69

9

3

15

35

35

31

Very favourable Fairly favourable Neutral Fairly unfavourable Very unfavourable

Thinking about your

experience of lobbying,

are you generally

favourable or

unfavourable towards

lobbying as it currently

operates?

Favourable

47%

61%

31%

And in your opinion, do

you feel that public

perceptions of lobbying

are generally

favourable or

unfavourable?

3%

6%

0%

Unfavourable

26%

22%

29%

93%

86%

100%


Many MPs think public have limited understanding of lobbying, and

don’t see its positive side

6

14

6

15

10

24

11

6

17

11

23

28

Lobbyists have less power/influence thanthe public think

The public are unaware of the positiveside of lobbying

The public believe lobbyists push vestedinterests

Lobbying is an opportunity for MPs tolisten to the issues facing

business/organisations/charities

Lobbying is not understood by the public

The public have a overly negativeperception of lobbyists


Q To what extent is the public perception of lobbying reflective of your experience? Why do you say that?


27

18

16

12

9

9

All MPs


% Top mentions

Political lobbying: public perception compared to reality

It is accurate. Ultimately

everyone is lobbying

whether it is a constituent

who wishes to lobby to get

a problem with their

housing association fixed,

but the purist form of

lobbyist in terms of

corporate affairs

businesses, it can be quite

corrosive and I tend not to

deal with public affairs

companies. If you have a

company in your

constituency with an issue

you will always see them

anyhow and I would rather

have the contact made

directly with the companies

Conservative MP

Not very reflective, the public perception is dislocated from

my experience

Liberal Democrat MP

It is fairly accurate,

the public perception

is that lobbying

organisations and

pressure groups

spend a lot of

money trying to

persuade MPs of

their view and I think

that is probably the

case

Conservative MP

About the same. I don't want to

be critical of people who are

lobbying for good causes, but

when they do come and talk to

you it is very much that they

are almost robotic sometimes,

"Let's say what we have to say

and hit the MP with what we

want them to do”

Labour MP

My personal experience is that the public are wrong about lobbying. I don't think the

lobbying is nearly as bad as people make out, probably the public have an

exaggerated view of what lobbyists do, I think they think that they take us all out for

holidays to Switzerland where we ski and soak up the sunshine. The public probably

have a skewed idea of what lobbyists do. They are right to be sceptical but I think

they think lobbyists and MPs are worse than they are

Liberal Democrat MP

Q To what extent is the public perception of lobbying reflective of your experience? Why do you say that?

The complete opposite. I find

lobbying can be very

sensible, very helpful, very

informative but most

members of the public

consider that lobbying is

something you do in a brown

envelope and hand to an MP

surreptitiously. It isn't, it is an

informative process and it

advises and assists MPs

greater as long as there is no

suspicion on either part that

each one is seeking to

actually gain some unfair

advantage. When it is done

honestly and transparently it

is a vital tool in the body

politic

Labour MP


30%

37%

22%

73%

77%

75%

63%

72%

56%

27%

23%

30%

10%

11%

10%

16%

11%

21%


Political lobbyists have

become less effective

at engaging with MPs

over the past five

years

Lobbying is very useful

in helping me

understand the issues

facing businesses and

other organisations

Political lobbyists

make a positive

contribution to the

legislative process in

the UK

Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?


MPs split on whether lobbyists are less effective now – but broad

agreement that they make a positive contribution


52%

31%

78%

47%

35%

55%

21%

31%

8%

25%

28%

23%


Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?


Companies are

generally not

transparent enough

about their lobbying

activities

Attitudes to lobbying bill split along party lines – and Labour MPs

more likely to say companies not transparent enough

The Lobbying Bill

needs to be reformed


26

24

20

52

40

32

41

49

10

16

20

20

45

55

47

63

The Independent

Financial Times

The Sun

The Guardian

The Evening Standard

Daily Mail

The Daily Telegraph

The Times


Base: All MPs (104), Conservative MPs (49) and Labour MPs (44),asked, Winter MPs 2013

55

42

41

41

35

19

18

17

Newspaper readership – The Times is most widely read, but clear party

preferences between titles, particularly with the Guardian and Mail Q Which of these daily publications, if any, do you read regularly (at least 3 issues out of 4)?

All MPs


% Top mentions

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

W2002

S2003

W2003

S2004

W2004

S2005

W2005

S2006

W2006

S2007

W2007

S2008

W2008

S2009

W2009

S2010

W2010

S2011

W2011

S2012

W2012

S2013

W2013

The Times The Telegraph Daily Mail Evening Standard

The Guardian The Sun Financial Times The Independent

Newspaper readership trends – the Daily Mail is the only title to see

an increase in readership in recent years Q Which of these daily publications, if any, do you read regularly (at least 3 issues out of 4)?

55%

42%

35%

19% 18% 17%

41% 41%

Source: Ipsos MORI MPs survey Base: All MPs asked each wave (c.100-150 MPs)

6

5

21

17

25

58

41

42

4

10

20

37

25

20

35

51

Parliamentary Brief

The Week

The Economist

The Spectator

Private Eye

New Statesman

Total Politics

The House Magazine


Base: All MPs (104), Conservative MPs (49) and Labour MPs (44),asked, Winter MPs 2013

44

40

38

26

26

21

8

5

Magazine readership – The House Magazine most widely read, with

clear party preferences on New Statesman and Spectator Q Which of these weekly, fortnightly or monthly publications, if any, do you read regularly (at least 3 issues out of 4)?

All MPs


% Top mentions

Magazine readership – Total Politics embedded very quickly as a key

publication Q Which of these weekly, fortnightly or monthly publications, if any, do you read regularly (at least 3 issues out of 4)?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

W2002

S2003

W2003

S2004

W2004

S2005

W2005

S2006

W2006

S2007

W2007

S2008

W2008

S2009

W2009

S2010

W2010

S2011

W2011

S2012

W2012

S2013

W2013

The House Magazine Total Politics New Statesmen The Spectator

The Economist This Week Parliamentary Brief Private Eye

44% 40%

26%

21%

8%

5%

38%

26%

Base: All MPs asked each wave (c.100-150 MPs)


Trust in Politics

and Business Who do politicians trust – and what do they

think of trust in politicians? What can

business do to encourage trust among MPs?

And who do MPs trust with their data?

86%

83%

82%

76%

63%

61%

59%

56%

Clergy/Priest

Judge

Scientist

Doctors

Teacher

TV newsreader

Police

Pollsters

Q I am going to read out some different types of people. For each, please can you tell me if you would generally trust them to tell the

truth or not.

Base: All MPs (58), Summer MPs 2014 Base: 1,018 British Adults aged 18+ interviewed by telephone, November 2013

Trust completely/fair amount

Veracity Index (1) – MPs most likely to trust priests – teachers and

police less trusted, as are pollsters…

Source: Ipsos MORI MPs survey and Ipsos MORI Veracity Index

General Public “Yes,

trust to tell truth”

66%

82%

83%

89%

86%

69%

65%

50%

53%

51%

49%

44%

43%

33%

18%

12%

11%

Business Leaders

Civil servants

Politicians generally

The ordinary person in the street

Ministers

Trade Union officials

Bankers

Estate Agents

Journalists

Q I am going to read out some different types of people. For each, please can you tell me if you would generally trust them to tell the

truth or not.

Base: All MPs (58), Summer MPs 2014 Base: 1,018 British Adults aged 18+ interviewed by telephone, November 2013

Veracity Index (2) – MPs more likely to trust politicians than “ordinary

people”, but very low trust in bankers, estate agents and journalists

Source: Ipsos MORI MPs survey and Ipsos MORI Veracity Index

General Public “Yes,

trust to tell truth”

34%

53%

18%

64%

n/a

41%

n/a

n/a

21%

42%

45%

35%

76%

76%

80%

53%

52%

58%

16%

18%

13%


MPs split on whether trust in politicians has changed – although

majority agree that public think parties do not represent their interests Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?


Trust in politicians to

tell the truth has not

really changed over

the past decade

The public

increasingly believe

that political parties do

not represent their

interests


77%

79%

73%

77%

70%

84%

18%

18%

20%

11%

15%

5%


MPs mostly agree the public increasingly don’t see a difference

between parties – and that politicians are out of touch Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?


The public


that there is little

difference between

the political parties

The public


that politicians are

out of touch


15

4

4

11

16

53

40

56

89

6

12

19

16

19

25

44

68

75

Public anger about specific policies

Public refusal to accept some of the realities facingthe country

The main political parties criticising each other

Lack of significant difference between the policiesof the main parties

A lack of strong leadership across the main politicalparties

Public anger about the recession and austerity

An increasing number of politicians going straightinto politicans from university

The way politics and politicians are represented inthe media

The behavior of some politicians, for example theexpenses scandal

The behaviour of politicians and representation by the media seen as

key reasons for lack of trust in politicians


Q Thinking about the issues affecting trust in politicians, which two or three of the following do you think have had the

most impact?


79

66

40

36

17

17

12

11

10

All MPs


% Top mentions

4

10

22

10

7

18

24

37

15

15

11

19

15

15

19

19

The media needs to stopportraying politicans negatively

Restore trust on an individualbasis through constituency work

Represent the views ofconstituents

Show integrity and be trustworthy

Media coverage of politics needsto be more balanced and fair

Show that they share theconcerns of the public

Be more accessible

Be more honest/open with thepublic

Honesty/openness/accessibility key themes for improving trust –

Conservatives also emphasise the media’s role

% Top mentions


Q What do you think Politicians in this country need to do to improve public trust in politics?


29

23

18

15

14

14

12

10

All MPs


They need to get out more,

they need to go and visit

organisations, talk to

ordinary people, listen to

what they have got to say,

bring those issues back to

parliament and also tell

them that we can't solve

everything and that some of

the issues in society are

down to individuals as well

as government

Labour MP

To act in good faith at all times and focus on the needs of

their constituents and be a good constituency MP

Conservative MP

Be honest with the

public, tell them

what they intend to

do and stick to it

Conservative MP

Seriously reform the parliamentary institutions and

to adopt a more puritanical lifestyle

Labour MP

Try to be honest, transparent and by that I mean using plain language as much as

possible, be as accessible as possible. Just try to be as open about what they are

doing and the reasons why they are doing it. As long as there's communication, I

have tended to find that if people don't agree with you, the fact that you are

prepared to argue your case in as honest and open a way as you possibly can,

using plain language, ensuring that you have listened to the points they have made,

that generally gets a good response

Liberal Democrat MP

Strategies for improving trust in politics

Q What do you think Politicians in this country need to do to improve public trust in politics?

We need to be more open about why we form policy and how we communicate it

with the public. We need to be braver when we are telling people about difficult

choices, we need to be more trusting of them to understand when there are tough

choices to be made and we should give them more credit that they are actually

able to work out for themselves, if we present the arguments we should be more

trusting of them to make a decision on what we are doing

Labour MP Source: Ipsos MORI MPs survey

10%

29%

24%

22%

29%

40%

40%

36%

52%

50%

52%


MPs mostly disagree that the public’s view of business is becoming

more negative Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?



have lost the trust of

the general public

The public is

increasingly negative

about business


77%

84%

67%

33%

16%

59%

6%

3%

9%

43%

56%

27%


MPs are split on whether business doesn’t understand the public –

but much clearer that the public don’t understand business Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?


In general, the public

have a poor

understanding of

business

In general, businesses

have a poor

understanding of the

general public’s concerns


10

10

6

36

39

25

25

55

52

12

16

24

4

12

40

48

32

44

Quality of products and services

The ongoing financial crisis

Globalisation

Employment practices percievd to beunfair e.g. zero hour contracts

Excessive profits

Markets being dominated by a few, largecompanies

Government bail-outs at the cost of thetax payer

Corporate tax avoidence

Executive pay and bonuses

Executive pay seen as key influence on trust in business - with

Conservatives focusing on bailouts and Labour on tax avoidance

% Top mentions


Q Thinking about the issues that are affecting public trust in business, which two or three of the following do you think have had

the most impact?


48

42

35

33

24

20

14

13

11


All MPs

17

14

9

4

17

26

13

46

12

12

8

20

12

12

28

28

Communicate better with the public

Address negative media coverage

Give back to/engage with localcommunity

Look after customers

Limit/reduce high levels of executive payand bonuses

Pay a living wage

Look after employees

Be more honest and transparent

Honesty again key to trust in business – with treatment/ pay for staff

and executive pay/bonuses also important

% Top mentions


Q What do you think CEOs, and other senior executives, in this country need to do to improve public trust in business?


35

19

17

15

14

14

13

13

All MPs


How can CEOs improve public trust in business Q What do you think CEOs, and other senior executives, in this country need to do to improve public trust in business?

Keep employing people and

treating their employees well.

The public and businesses are

not two separate entities

because the public work for

businesses, they have direct

experience of them. So keep

employing people and look

after them when they do

Conservative MP

Avoid scandals and avoid excessive remuneration and bad practices,

especially when they are employing people. Not rip their customers off

Conservative MP

Pay their fair share

of tax, they need to

make sure

companies are

registered in the

countries that they

operate from, they

need to make sure

their management

are visible and

accountable and as

much as possible

that their staff are

given an ability to

have a say in the

way the company is

run

Conservative MP

Be more open and transparent, be better

employers in terms of working conditions,

be more open about things like tax

avoidance

Labour MP

It is about maintaining good quality services and

products, and reliable customer service. That is what

drives consumers to have confidence in a brand,

whatever the product or service is, you want

something that is a quality product and you know you

have the follow on care with the company or

organisation if you have a problem

Liberal Democrat MP

Take less money, stop giving the

impression of being completely self-

centered and actually refer to the

national interest once in a while. Be a

little bit more modest in their ambitions, a

little bit more supportive of their staff and

the country

Labour MP


62

28

34

24

21

65 55

63

17

8

13

4

74

56

52

44

30

33

Your national government

Public sector healthcareproviders

Banks

Private healthcare providers

Telecommunicationscompanies

Credit card companies

% Trust at least a fair amount


Q: To what extent, if at all, do you personally trust the following to use information they have about you in the right way?

Government and public sector health organisations most trusted with

data. Conservative MPs have higher trust in private sector organisations (1)

Base MPs Question: All MPs (57), Conservative MPs (27) and Labour MPs (24),asked, Summer MPs 2014 Base General

Public Question: 1000 adults aged 16-64 in Great Britain

All MPs


20

8

4

0

14

9

5

5

0

26

15

11

4

0

Supermarkets

Insurance companies

Media companies

Social media websites

Foreign governments


Media and social media companies least trusted with our data – and

no MPs trust foreign governments with our data! (2)

Base MPs Question: All MPs (57), Conservative MPs (27) and Labour MPs (24),asked, Summer MPs 2014

Base General Public Question: 1000 adults aged 16-64 in Great Britain



All MPs


15

65

62

34

28

24

21

31

41

34

28

17

24

Your national government

Public sector healthcareproviders

Banks

Private healthcare providers

Telecommunications companies

Credit card companies

MPs British adults

Compared with the general public, MPs have greater trust in

government and the NHS, but very similar on private companies (1)

Base MPs Question: All MPs (57), asked, Summer MPs 2014 Base General Public Question: 1000

adults aged 16-64 in Great Britain




20

15

8

4

0

31

17

11

12

10

Supermarkets

Insurance companies

Media companies

Social media websites

Foreign governments

MPs British adults

MPs and the general public also have similar lack of trust in social

media, media and foreign governments (2)

Base MPs Question: All MPs (57), asked, Summer MPs 2014 Base General Public

Question: 1000 adults aged 16-64 in Great Britain




28

31

26

22

41

35

40

26

5

8

4

16

16

15

21

14

7

8

9

18

Agree much more with a than b Agree a little more with a than b

Agree equally with both Agree a little more with b than a

Agree much more with b than a

Q As you know, different government departments and services collect data about individuals, for example for tax

records and health records. People have different views on how much this information should be shared across

government and with others, such as academics or private companies. Overall, which of the two following statements

is closest to your view?

A) We should share all the data we can because it benefits the services and the public, as long as there are strict

controls on who can access the data and how it is used

B) We should not share data as the risks to people’s privacy and security outweigh the benefits

Base: All MPs (56), Conservative MPs (26) and Labour MPs (24),asked, Summer MPs 2014. UK General

Public aged 16-75, interviewed 23-25th June 2014. Base 505.

Agree more

with a than b

Agree more

with b than a

24%

23%

29%

MPs and general public have similar views on benefits/ risks of data

sharing – but more among general public are strongly against

69%

65%

67%

48% 32% UK General Public


EU Membership Britain’s future in the EU and whether the

terms of our membership should be

renegotiated

Q To what extent do you agree or disagree that the terms of Britain’s membership of the EU should be renegotiated?


All Conservative MPs think that terms of membership of EU should be

renegotiated – Labour MPs are split

74%

100%

49%

21%

42%



Freedom of movement is the key issue to be renegotiated with the EU,

but also legal and foreign policy and finances

25

17

18

42

13

31

41

56

Our financial contribution to the EU

Foreign policy

Regain control of our legislature andjudiciary

Freedom of movement across nationalborders


Q What particular aspects of the terms of our membership of the EU do you think most need to be changed?


49

32

25

16

All MPs


% Top mentions

Q What particular aspects of the terms of our membership of the EU do you think most need to be changed?

There has to be a mechanism for re-engaging popular consent to Britain's

membership and if that means renegotiating some things and coming back and

having a referendum, the current relationship between Britain and the EU is not

sustainable. We either have to get out or get on with it, at the moment we are in

limbo and causing damage to the wider EU by our lack of clarity of where it is going

Liberal Democrat MP

I would like the UK to opt out of the unrestricted free movement of

people around the EU and have control over its borders again

Labour MP

The whole thing, everything. The freedom of movement, the ever closer union, the

Working Time Directive, the very large contributions we make and the whole set up

of the European parliament and the European Commission

Conservative MP

Our financial

contribution, control of

our borders, control of

our own laws and

generally reducing the

overall cost and

interference of the

European Union

Conservative MP

We have allowed the EU to take control of and

make decisions on far too many things that

should be left to our own government and own

parliament and they have gone way away from

what originally people voted for which was the

Common Market and that has to be changed

Labour MP

It continuously needs to be

reformed and changed. I am a

strong believer in Europe, I

believe we should stay in

Europe, but everything should

constantly be looked at and

changed. The issue of the

bureaucracy, many of the

opponents are right in what

they say about it being a

bureaucratic and an expensive

institution/organisation and

there also needs to be this

issue of subsidiarity, the level

at which decisions are made.

There should be a general

principle that decisions should

not be made at the European

level if it is more suitable for

them to be made at a lower

level

Liberal Democrat MP

What issues need to be renegotiated?



Majority of Conservative MPs think we should leave EU if terms not

renegotiated – majority of Labour MPs think there will be no referendum

83

12 6 12

27 61

50

16

34 If the terms are not

renegotiated, do you

think Britain should

remain a member of the

EU?

94

6

30

11

59 63 9

28 Do you think there will

be a referendum on

EU membership in

2017?

% Yes % No % Maybe



MPs split on how the public would vote – and parties have almost

exactly opposing views on outcome

22

22 53

3

60 25

9 6

38

25

33

4 How do you think a the

public will vote if a

referendum on EU

membership happens in

2017 and the terms of

the UK’s membership

have not changed?

% Vote

to Stay

% Vote to

leave

% Too close

to call

% Don’t

know


92%

100%

89%

90%

93%

89%

49%

33%

60%

5%

4%

6%

3%

8%

38%

50%

29%


Nearly all MPs see Britain as a force for good and punching above

weight – but split on whether power waning Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Britain is a force for

good in international

politics


Britain punches

above its weight

when it comes to

international politics

Britain’s power and

influence in

international politics

is waning


Scottish

Referendum The views of MPs on which way Scotland

will vote on 18th September

% Yes % No

Nearly all MPs thought that Scotland would vote to remain a part of

the UK Q And do you think that Scotland will vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in the independence referendum in September?

4

96

4%

Yes

96%

No

100

5

95

Base: All MPs (81), Conservative MPs (35), Labour MPs (36), Liberal Democrat MPs (9*), English MPs (64),

Scottish MPs (8*) and Welsh MPs (7*) asked, Summer MPs 2014

3

97

12

88 100

* Caution – Low base size

11

89

English

MPs

Scottish

MPs

Welsh

MPs


Election 2015 Who will win the next election, and by what

margin?

0%

5% 5% 8% 8%

34%

21%

10%

34%

8%

16%

22%

10%

3% 0% 0% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

0% 0% 0%

Clear partisan profile in likely outcome of General Election – overall MPs

split evenly between each party having majority and hung parliament Q Which party do you think will win the next election, and with what majority?

Base: All MPs (80), Conservative MPs (33), Labour MPs (36), Liberal Democrat MPs (10*), asked, Summer MPs 2014


Hung Parliament

Conservatives

largest party

Conservative

majority of 1-10

Conservative

majority of 11-25

Conservative

majority of 26+

Hung Parliament

Labour largest

party

Labour majority

of 1-10

Labour majority

of 11-25 Labour majority

of 26+

Labour Conservatives Liberal Democrats

All MPs

32%

Labour

MPs 58%

Labour

Majority All MPs

33%

Conservative

MPs 66%

Conservative

Majority

All MPs

28%

Hung Parliament


Most MPs thought UKIP would have no seats after the next election –

but significant minority said 1-5 Q And how many MPs do you think UKIP will have after the next election?

Base: All MPs (83), Conservative MPs (34), Labour MPs (39), Liberal Democrat MPs (9*) asked, Summer MPs 2014


2%

6%

38%

38%

43%

11%

None 1-5 MPs 6 or more MPs

60%

57%

57%

89%

0%

0%


Most Impressive

MP Who has been the most impressive MP over

the last 38 years?

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Base: Members of Parliament, 1981-2014

Most Impressive MP 1981-2014 – Among All MPs

John Biffen

Tony Banks

Robin Cook

Enoch Powell

Michael Heseltine

Tony Blair

Michael Howard

Q change from backbencher to MP

Gordon Brown

William Hague

David Cameron

William Hague / Michael Gove

Theresa May

%

Ken Clarke

Ken Clarke

Robin Cook

Tony Blair

Tony Blair

Gordon Brown

William Hague

William Hague

Tony Blair

David Cameron

Thank You

FURTHER INFORMATION

For more information please contact:

Carl Phillips

e: [email protected]

Ipsos MORI

79-81 Borough Road

London

SE1 1FY

t: +44 (0)20 7347 3061

www.ipsos-mori.com

About Ipsos Reputation Centre The Ipsos MORI Reputation Centre was established with a simple aim:

to help companies build more resilient reputations through stronger

relationships with the people who matter most to them. Our approach is

based on the understanding that research needs to be a catalyst for

positive change – providing clear and practical advice that feeds

directly into the stakeholder communications process.

The Key Influencer Tracking programme is a suite of multi-client

studies that examine the attitudes and opinions of a range of elite,

opinion forming stakeholder audiences. The first of these surveys was

set up nearly 40 years ago and the programme has gone from strength

to strength ever since. Further details can be found at www.ipsos-

mori.com/kit

http://www.ipsos-mori.com/kit



The View from Westminster: Ipsos MORI MPs Survey 1978 - 2014

News & Politics

Transcript of The View from Westminster: Ipsos MORI MPs Survey 1978 - 2014