55% of voters expect economy to get worse over next twelve months (just 9% think it will get better)

The Ipsos-MORI survey is published here.  The headline figure shows the Tories 7% ahead but more interesting is the finding that 55% of voters expect the economy to deteriorate over the next year.  31% think it will stay the same.  Just 9% think it will get better.

This new anxiety explains why the Conservatives are talking more about the economy - as with mortgage lending this morning.

Only 5% think the economy is the number one issue, however.  28% think race relations and immigration is the top issue of concern.  Second in the league table of concerns is crime and anti-social behaviour (16%).  Defence and terrorism is next with 10%.  The NHS fourth with 8%.

Comments

How in HELL have Labour gone up???

[Cllr Brook Whelan]

The headline in one of the business papers this week was something like 'Housing slowdown will finally sink Brown'.

I am not so sure that this or the general economic slowdown will be the end of Brown.

What will definitely sink Brown is when voters look to the government for a way out of the economic slowdown, and they will see that Brown has no answers and definitely no vision.

[Tony Makara]

The Conservative party must keep the focus on economic matters. Portray Gordon Brown as the man who built an economy on credit. Now that the credit has dried up the fake Labour economy has ground to a halt. A simple message but one most people will understand and remember.

[Nick]

Cant we get Carol Vorderman to do some PEB's for us... "With one simple call to LabourCredit you can consolidate all your debts and build them up for a massive crash in the future"... "If you apply now, 10% of the profits will go to the Labour Party but not in your name"... could be funny and effective?

[Malcolm Dunn]

The 9% who think the economy will get better are either very stupid or on strong drugs.

[Tony Makara]

Nick, a great idea! We will all have to try and chip in with a few slogans. How about...

"Labour just can't mend, a broken economy built on borrow-and-spend!"

[Matt Wright]

Like the suggestion on the Election Broadcast by Nick.

[Teck Khong]

"28% think race relations and immigration is the top issue of concern."

What is the rank order of the parties on this issue?

[m dowding]

Every, every department of this sorry, so called Government is a mess. Blair was the grinning front man for a Brown old labour agenda. Now the Soviet model applied to this once great nation is as derelict as the old Soviet Union, where is our Berlin Wall to tear down?
I love my Party and it's history but now I fear for It's and our Nations's survival.
David, you have the chance to be a Churchill. After conference, I think you might have it within you to be so. Yet time is running out. We must make people see the dire awfullness. Please. please do it.

[Tony Makara]

m dowding, I agree, the next election will effect the future direction of our country far more than most people imagine. We need strong competent government, especially if we are heading for stormy economic waters. Everyone must get behind David Cameron and give us the change of direction we need.

[Tom FD]

Why on earth are "race relations" and "immigration" lumped into one? This doesn't make any sense to me at all.

[Tony Makara]

Tom FD, the left try to equate immigration with race relations to silence any debate on the subject. They want more immigration because they believe it leads to more votes for them. Anyhow how can immigration be about race relations when most immigrants coming into Britain these days are white? The left use race as yet another gravy-train industry, they exploit ethnic groups to make political gain, as the recent Lee Jasper case shows only too well.

[tartan tory]

"cause things can only get better... la la la"

or not.

[Mandy knows a thing or two]

The 9%, in the survey, who think the economy will get better are probably cabinet ministers.

[Teck]

Sorry, "Mandy knows a thing or two", you've forgotten the councillors!

[Joe James Broughton]

A good poll, edging up,

and it looks credible aswell as it doesn't have Labour unrealistically low,
and the Others are a more credible figure of 9% which is 1 point up on last time in 2005.

[Iain]

"The Conservative party must keep the focus on economic matters."

Unfortunately George Osborne is not up to the task of doing this.

[Edison Smith]

How in HELL have Labour gone up???

Well, they're up 3% and the Lib Dems are down 4% - do the math! It's the usual shimmying between the two socialist parties (oops, I should say 'Social Democrats') by the sandal-wearing fraternity unable to make up their minds, and who are swayed by the machinations of the Guardian and the BBC.

[Yet Another Anon]

and it looks credible aswell as it doesn't have Labour unrealistically low,
and the Others are a more credible figure of 9% which is 1 point up on last time in 2005
Rather defeats the purpose of having the poll if people only pay attention to the results if it matches pre-conceptions.

In my opinion opinion polls on voting intention at a General Election 1.5 years off really mean little and so often people say what they think others want to hear and make decisions based on other factors they don't consider when answering pollsters, or even refuse to answer, or lie deliberately - there are so many things that can skew polls, the media loves it of course because they help fuel stories.

[Teck]

"Unfortunately George Osborne is not up to the task of doing this."

Iain (at 11:03), who do you have in mind?