What is fairness? What is poverty? Policy Exchange asks the voters...

By Tim Montgomerie

Over at ToryDiary I look at the PX Poll's implications for the Conservative Party but pasted below are some key findings:

MOST IMPORTANT VALUES IN A POLITICAL PARTY

• Economic responsibility: 59%
• Fairness: 50%
• Family values: 32%
• Traditional values: 29%
• Equality: 21%
• Liberty: 20%
• Patriotism: 17%
• Environmentalism: 11%

FAIRNESS IS ABOUT GETTING WHAT YOU DESERVE, NOT EQUALITY

• 63% of people say that “fairness is about getting what you deserve”, while just 26% say that “fairness is about equality”.
• By a margin of 73%-18% people agree that society can be fair even if it is unequal – as long as there is equality of opportunity.

WHAT WILL DO MOST TO TACKLE POVERTY?

• Reducing unemployment: 45%
• Cutting tax on low earners: 45%
• Reducing the cost of living: 38%
• Improve state education: 29%
• Increase minimum wage: 29%
• Reduce crime in poor areas: 23%
• Increase state pensions: 18%
• Reducing tuition fees: 11%
• Banning private education: 4%
• Increasing welfare benefits: 3%

WHY ARE PEOPLE POOR?

• By 48% to 24% people say that people end up poor because of forces outside their control – not their own poor decisions;
• BUT by 71%-16% they agree with the statement that “Some people who are poor are much more deserving than other people who are poor"

SUPPORT FOR SPECIFIC POLICY MEASURES

• By 80% to 13% there is agreement that “people who have been out of work for 12 months or more, who are physically and mentally capable of undertaking a job, should be required to do community work in return for their state benefits.”
• 49% of respondents back the idea that claimants who break their jobseekers agreement should lose half or more of their benefits.  21% backed the idea that they should lose all their benefits “regardless of the hardship it would cause”.
• By 50% to 16% people think benefits are too high rather than too low.
• By a margin of 55% to 36% people disagree with the idea that “People with children should be given higher benefits to compensate for the costs of bringing them up."
• “The government should try to encourage marriage through the benefits system” is narrowly rejected (45% to 40%) but there is support (59% over 31%) for idea that “The government should try to discourage people from becoming lone parents”.

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See the full results here.