This document contains a summary of survey results from Ipsos MORI tracking public opinion on the most important issues facing Britain. The January 2015 survey found that immigration was the top issue at 22%, followed by the economy at 16% and education at 14%. Unemployment and the NHS rounded out the top five. The results also showed differences by age, social class and between Labour and Conservative supporters. Charts are included to show trends on key issues over time, with notes on historical events that may have impacted public opinion.

1. Contacts: Gideon.Skinner@ipsos.com
Jerry.Latter@ipsos.com
020 7347 3000
January 2015

2. 2
45
34
33
22
16
14
14
12
10
9
Base: 966 British adults 18+, 23rd January – 2nd February 2015 Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
Top mentions %
Immigration/Immigrants
Economy
Education/schools
Unemployment
NHS
Defence/Foreign affairs/Terrorism
Housing
Poverty/inequality
Change since Dec:
+12
-8
0
0
-1
+4
+1
0
-1
-2
% Position
Crime/Law and Order/ASB
Low pay/minimum wages/fair pay
+6
+2
-1
-1
-1
-1
+2

3. 3
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014

4. 4
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
Global Recession and
Russian Financial
crisis
Highest score since 1992.
Most important issue for the
first time
Sub-prime
mortgage crisis in
the US
Northern Rock
nationalised
End of
recession
announced
Bank
bailout
Cameron becomes
PM
Lowest score since
June 2008 (30%)

5. 5
0
10
20
30
40
50
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home
* Up until Sept 2014 the code was race/relations/immigration/immigrants
Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
9/11
Cameron becomes
PM
Border controls
relaxed for Romanians
and Bulgarians
Border controls relaxed for “A8”
EU Countries (Poland, etc.)

6. 6
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
0
10
20
30
40
50
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
Unemployment falls
below 1 million for first
time in 25 years
Minimum wage
introduced
Unemployment in
Britain rises to
5.5%
Lowest ever score
(5%)
Youth unemployment
reaches 1 million
Cameron becomes
PM

7. 7
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
May day riots
Riots in England
Prison
overcrowding
reaches record
levels
9/11
Cameron becomes
PM

8. 8
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
Report says waiting lists have
doubled under Labour
Blair – “We have underfunded the NHS
for years and we are paying the price for
it” – BBC NHS day
Hewitt heckled at UNISON
conference – fears over NHS
job cuts
Lowest score
since
December 1985 (12%)
Cameron becomes
PM
A&E waiting times “worst in a
decade”: Highest score since April
2006

9. 9
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
0
10
20
30
40
50
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
London
Bombs
Introduction of
means-tested tuition
fees. Education most
important issue.
First City Academies
introduced
Lowest score
since Dec 1985
(9%)
Labour’s second term - pledge to
improve failing secondary schools
Education and
Inspections Bill limits
the power of LAs to
open new schools
April 2011 – Pupil Premium
introduced
Cameron becomes
PM

10. 10
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
9/11
London
Bombs
Invasion of Iraq –
protests across Europe
Failed terror
attacks in
London and
Glasgow
UK
withdraws
from Iraq
War in
Kosovo
Parliamentary
vote on action in
Syria
Cameron becomes
PM
NATO bombing
in Libyan Civil
War Rise of ISIS

11. 11
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
0
5
10
15
20
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
Sept 1999: Alastair
Darling – “one
child in three”
living in poverty
July 2014 –
highest score
recorded (18%)
January 2005 –
Make Poverty
History campaign
launched on New
Year’s Day
Cameron becomes
PM

12. 12
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
Inflation rate
hits 16 year
peak
Inflation rises to
3.4%
Cameron becomes
PM

13. 13
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
0
5
10
15
20
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
A8 Countries join
the EU
House prices rising
at fastest rate in 10
years
2005 Election – Blair promises
to make families £800 better off
and help first time buyers
Highest score
since May 2008
(15%)
Cameron becomes
PM

14. 14
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
Lords vote to increase
compensation for those whose
company pension schemes have
collapsed
Blair and Harriet Harman propose
‘affluence testing’ to exclude the
well-off from state benefits
Gordon Brown
unveils pension
credits
Pensions commission report –
“more than 12 million working
people are not saving enough
for their retirement”
Lowest ever
score (3%)
Cameron becomes
PM

15. 15
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
0
5
10
15
20
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
Cameron’s “Vote
Blue, go Green”
campaign at 2006
local elections
Buncefield Oil Depot fire – toxic
cloud reaches northern Spain
Wettest Autumn since records began –
widespread flooding across the UK
EC proposes carbon
emission cuts of 20%
by 2020
Stern
Review on
climate
change
Cameron becomes
PM
Flooding
in England

16. 16
Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
0
10
20
30
40
May
1997
May
1998
May
1999
May
2000
May
2001
May
2002
May
2003
May
2004
May
2005
May
2006
May
2007
May
2008
May
2009
May
2010
May
2011
May
2012
May
2013
May
2014
9/11
Treaty of Accession:
10 new EU Member
States
France and Holland
reject ratification of
EU constitution
Lowest score
recorded (1%)
Amsterdam Treaty signed
Cameron becomes
PM
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home
Post Euro elections:
Highest score since
June 2005 (12%)

17. 17
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today? – NHS
Base: 966 British adults 18+, 23rd January – 2nd February 2015
*Note small base size (98)
Ipsos MORI Issues Index
LabourConservative

18. 18
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
NHS - differences Dec 14 vs. Jan 15
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index

19. 19
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
Race relations/immigration / Unemployment / Economy
Base: 966 British adults 18+, 23rd January – 2nd February 2015
24%
33%
30%
28%
38%
48%
27%
23% 23%
32%
12%
23%
31%
21%
39%
34%
39%
30%
43%
28%
58%
30%
54%
49%
ABC1 18-34 C2DE 18-34 ABC1 35-54 C2DE 35-54 ABC1 55+ C2DE 55+
Immigration Unemployment Economy NHS
Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index