Margaret Thatcher
Polling Trends
1978 - 2011
Contacts: Bobby.Duffy@ipsos.com
Gideon.Skinner@ipsos.com
Tomasz.Mludzinski@ipsos.com 020 7347 3000

Satisfaction with Thatcher and her government 2
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way Margaret Thatcher is doing her job as Prime Minister/the
government is running the country?
General Election General Election
60 June 1982: 59% October 1984:
50 Falklands Brighton bomb
40
30
20 % Satisfied with Thatcher
10 % Satisfied with government
0
Feb-80
Feb-81
Feb-82
Feb-83
Feb-84
Feb-85
Feb-86
Feb-87
Feb-88
Feb-89
Feb-90
Aug-79
Nov-79
Aug-80
Nov-80
Aug-81
Nov-81
Aug-82
Nov-82
Aug-83
Nov-83
Aug-84
Nov-84
Aug-85
Nov-85
Aug-86
Nov-86
Aug-87
Nov-87
Aug-88
Nov-88
Aug-89
Nov-89
Aug-90
Nov-90
May-80
May-81
May-82
May-83
May-84
May-85
May-86
May-87
May-88
May-89
May-90
-10
-20
-30
-40
-50 Net satisfaction - government
-60 March 1981: -58 Net satisfaction -Thatcher March 1990: -63
Budget – spending cuts Poll tax
-70
Source: Ipsos MORI
Base: c. 1,000 British adults each month

Satisfaction with Thatcher as Prime Minister 3
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way Margaret Thatcher is doing her job as Prime Minister?
General Election General Election
60 June 1982: Falklands October 1984:
50 Brighton bomb
40
30 % Satisfied with Thatcher
20
10
0
Feb-80
Feb-81
Feb-82
Feb-83
Feb-84
Feb-85
Feb-86
Feb-87
Feb-88
Feb-89
Feb-90
Aug-79
Nov-79
Aug-80
Nov-80
Aug-81
Nov-81
Aug-82
Nov-82
Aug-83
Nov-83
Aug-84
Nov-84
Aug-85
Nov-85
Aug-86
Nov-86
Aug-87
Nov-87
Aug-88
Nov-88
Aug-89
Nov-89
Aug-90
Nov-90
May-80
May-81
May-82
May-83
May-84
May-85
May-86
May-87
May-88
May-89
May-90
-10
-20
-30
-40 Net satisfaction -Thatcher
-50 Spending cuts
-60 March 1990:
Poll tax
-70
Source: Ipsos MORI
Base: c. 1,000 British adults each month

Net satisfaction with Thatcher and her government 4
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way Margaret Thatcher is doing her job as Prime Minister/the
government is running the country?
General Election General Election
30
June 1982: Falklands
20
October 1984:
10 Brighton bomb
0
Feb-80
Feb-81
Feb-82
Feb-83
Feb-84
Feb-85
Feb-86
Feb-87
Feb-88
Feb-89
Feb-90
Nov-79
Nov-80
Nov-81
Nov-82
Nov-83
Nov-84
Nov-85
Nov-86
Nov-87
Nov-88
Nov-89
Nov-90
Aug-79
Aug-80
Aug-81
Aug-82
Aug-83
Aug-84
Aug-85
Aug-86
Aug-87
Aug-88
Aug-89
Aug-90
May-80
May-81
May-82
May-83
May-84
May-85
May-86
May-87
May-88
May-89
May-90
-10
-20
-30
-40
-50
Net satisfaction - government
-60 March 1981: -58 Net satisfaction -Thatcher March 1990: -63
Budget – spending cuts Poll tax
-70
Source: Ipsos MORI
Base: c. 1,000 British adults each month

Satisfaction with Thatcher and her government 5
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way Margaret Thatcher is doing her job as Prime Minister/the
government is running the country?
General Election General Election
60
June 1982: Falklands
50 October 1984:
40 Brighton bomb
30
20
% Satisfied with government
10
0
Feb-80
Feb-81
Feb-82
Feb-83
Feb-84
Feb-85
Feb-86
Feb-87
Feb-88
Feb-89
Feb-90
Aug-79
Nov-79
Aug-80
Nov-80
Aug-81
Nov-81
Aug-82
Nov-82
Aug-83
Nov-83
Aug-84
Nov-84
Aug-85
Nov-85
Aug-86
Nov-86
Aug-87
Nov-87
Aug-88
Nov-88
Aug-89
Nov-89
Aug-90
Nov-90
May-80
May-81
May-82
May-83
May-84
May-85
May-86
May-87
May-88
May-89
May-90
-10
-20
-30
-40
-50 Net satisfaction - government
-60 March 1981: -58 March 1990: -63
-70 Budget – spending cuts Poll tax
Source: Ipsos MORI
Base: c. 1,000 British adults each month

Margaret Thatcher – personal attributes 6
General Election General Election General Election
70 Out of touch with
ordinary people
60
Understands
50
problems facing
Britain
40
30 Capable leader
20
10
More honest than most
politicians
0
Sep-78
Sep-79
Sep-80
Sep-81
Sep-82
Sep-83
Sep-84
Sep-85
Sep-86
Sep-87
Sep-88
Sep-89
Sep-90
Base: c. 1,000 British adults each month Source: Ipsos MORI

Like her? Like her policies? Compared to Blair and 7
Cameron 7
Thatcher Thatcher Blair Blair Cameron
October November December May April
1984 1990 1997 2007 2010
% % % % %
I like him/her and I like his/her policies 26 20 47 27 29
I like him/her but I do not like his/her
policies 19 19 22 30 19
I do not like him but I like his policies 15 8 7 6 9
I do not like him & I do not like his policies 35 52 14 31 38
Don't know 5 2 10 5 4
Total like him/her 45 39 69 57 48
Total do not like him/her 50 60 21 37 47
Total like his/her policies 41 28 54 33 38
Total do not like his/her policies 54 71 36 61 57
Base: c. 1,000 British adults each month Source: Ipsos MORI

Margaret Thatcher – satisfaction ratings 8
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Margaret Thatcher is doing her job as Prime Minister?
Average 1979-90 May 1979-November 1990
Don’t know Satisfied
80 Falklands War
6% Dissatisfied
70
60
50
40%
40
30 Satisfied
20
54%
10
First term Second term Third term
0
Dissatisfied
Net = -14
Base: c. 1,000-2,000 British adults 18+ each month Source: MORI Political Monitor

Satisfaction with Prime Ministers 9
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way … is doing his / her job as Prime Minister?
CAMERON
Net satisfaction
Number of months from becoming Prime Minister
THATCHER
BLAIR
MAJOR
BROWN
Note: Data collected prior to June 2008 was collected via face-to-face
methodology; data collected from June 2008 was via telephone
Base: c. 1,000 British adults each month Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor

Satisfaction with governments 10
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way the government is running the country?
LABOUR: 1997 - 2010
Net satisfaction
JOHN MAJOR
BECOMES PM Number of months from new
government taking power
CONSERVATIVES: 1979-1997
GORDON BROWN
BECOMES PM
COALITION: 2010-2012
Base: c. 1,000 British adults each month Note: Data collected prior to June 2008 was collected via face-to-face Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor
methodology; data collected from June 2008 was via telephone

Most capable/liked Prime Minister? 11
Which one of the following Prime Ministers do you consider the most capable leader/like most as a person?
Margaret Thatcher 36
22
Tony Blair 27
26
Gordon Brown 11
13
David Cameron 10 Capable
17
7 Liked
John Major 10
None 6
9
Don't know 4
3
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 %
Base: 508 British adults 18+, 17th - 19th June 2011 Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor

Poll tax 12
Do you support or oppose the government adopting the following policy? ‘Replacing the system of domestic
rates with a fixed charge paid by people in each household aged over 18’
80
70
% Oppose
60
50
40
30 % Support
20
10
0
Mar-88
Mar-89
Sep-87
Dec-87
Sep-88
Dec-88
Sep-89
Dec-89
Jun-87
Jun-88
Jun-89
Base: c. 1,000 British adults each month Source: Ipsos MORI

Falklands 13
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the Government are now handling the situation in the Falkland
Islands?
90
80
% Satisfied
70
60
50
40
30
20 % Dissatisfied
10
0 03 May '82
16 May '82
26 May '82
14 Apr '82
21 Apr '82
24 Apr '82
30 Apr '82
23 Jun '82
Base: c. 1,000 British adults each time Source: Ipsos MORI