ComRes has a poll out today for ITV News, asking people what public spending should be increased or cut, which produces familiar findings and one surprise. Most people want to see increased spending on the NHS, and to a lesser extent on education and “police and law enforcement”.
But the surprise, for me, was that the ambiguous heading, “welfare”, found more supporters for increased spending than for cuts. Some people may know that the largest part of Iain Duncan Smith’s Work and Pensions budget is the state pension, and favour it for spending increases. But I thought that most people regarded “welfare” as shorthand for out-of-work benefits for people with their blinds down.
To what extent do you think that the Government should increase or decrease spending on each of the following areas between now and 2015?
| Area | Increase (6-10) | Keep spending the same (5) | Decrease (0-4) | Net Increase (minus decrease) |
| NHS | 71% | 24% | 5% | +69% |
| Education | 54% | 39% | 7% | +47% |
| Police & law enforcement | 54% | 37% | 9% | +45% |
| Welfare | 43% | 29% | 27% | +15% |
| Transport | 38% | 42% | 21% | +17% |
| Defence | 33% | 36% | 31% | +2% |
| Public sector pensions | 26% | 35% | 40% | -14% |
| Local government | 26% | 41% | 33% | -7% |
| International aid | 8% | 16% | 77% | -69% |
ComRes interviewed 2,050 British adults online 1-3 February 2013. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults aged 18+. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
meaningless in the current climate
welfare is not a positive word – it is the americanisation of our social security system by the nazi party
It Makes my Blood Boil the Thick Boneheads who Think the Un Employed are
” Scroungers ” The Scroungers are the Rich Politicians in Westminster Cloud Cuckooland
whilst the System Collaborators are the Ones Not Opposing this Outrage of Infamy
Tax the Rich Hands Off the Poor