Politicians not trusted to run public finances
ONLY one quarter of UK citizens trust the government to manage the public finances, according to survey data released today by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers. However, this is one of the highest rates in Europe.
When survey respondents were asked whether they agreed with the following statement: “I trust the current government to manage public finances”, 24 per cent said they agreed, according to the survey.
It compares with an European average of 19 per cent with Spain and France at the bottom of the pile, with 10 and 11 per cent respectively. Sweden led with 31 per cent.
On Friday, the UK maintained its high AA+ credit rating with Fitch ratings agency. Meanwhile, France was downgraded to AA from AA+.
The UK came second in Europe in terms of the transparency of public finances, with 26 per cent of survey respondents saying they were provided with sufficient information about public finances.
The national debt is on people’s minds with 63 per cent of UK citizens saying they think the state should reduce its debt. This contrasts with 75 per cent in France.