Budget 2016: George Osborne is going to have work extra hard to get people onside – approval of government cuts at lowest level for years
Approval ratings for government cuts are at their lowest level in years, according to data from YouGov released today.
Just hours before George Osborne is expected to announce cuts “equivalent to 50p in every £100” in his Budget, YouGov has published data showing that the number of people who think the government cuts are necessary, fair, or good for the economy has dropped.
The net percentage of Britons who see government cuts are necessary has fallen to +12 per cent – its lowest level since February 2011, when the net approval rating stood at +21 per cent.
The number of people who think that slashing spending is fair is at its lowest level since September 2012, with the net rating for fairness now standing at -38 per cent.
The chancellor will need to work particularly hard to convince the public of his economic strategy in his speech today, as the percentage people who regard government cuts as good for the British economy has sunk to the lowest level since August 2013, now at a net figure of – eight per cent.
General economic confidence has fallen over the past year and is now back at levels last seen in January 2015.
Positivity over the future of the economy is also dwindling. In July 2015, 34 per cent of people thought the British economy would improve over the next 12 months, and 30 per cent thought it would get worse.
Now only 14 per cent think the economy will improve, and 38 per cent expect it to decline.
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