Voters welcome Budget energy measures, but demand more action on cost of living – poll

Voters welcome the government’s energy bill support, but think more needs to be done at pace to help ordinary people with rising prices, a same-day study of reaction to the Budget has revealed.

A poll of more than 700 people for 38 Degrees, conducted immediately after the Budget by Survation, found that voters thought the Budget moved the country in a fairer direction, but that the government isn’t moving fast enough to deal with the cost of living crisis.

Measures addressing the cost of energy bills dominated responses from those surveyed, with support for plans to tax banks to help fund energy assistance.

However, respondents repeatedly called for greater action to help households struggling with the cost of living.

Energy payment will ‘take some of the pressure off’

Energy support was the issue most frequently raised by respondents, with the £100 energy relief payment being the most well-received measure of the Budget, although some said it did not go far enough.

Some welcomed the assistance as a practical way to ease pressure on household finances.

One respondent from the North West said the money would help go towards his children’s Christmas presents, while another respondent from the South West said the measure would “take some of the pressure off”.

However, others argued that the support was insufficient against the scale of rising energy bills.

“It does a little bit to help, but £100 going towards energy bills when they are going up far more than that isn’t really helping,” said a Reform voter from the East of England.

“They should be stopping them going up.”

Support from voters for taxing banking sector

The plan to increase taxes on banks to fund energy support was broadly well-supported by respondents, with some arguing that the sector could afford to contribute more.

One Labour voter who owns a business said: “We bailed the banks out; it’s time they pay their fair share.”

A Reform voter from the North West also supported the idea because banks were “making lots of profit”.

However, some expressed concern that the tax increase would ultimately be passed onto customers.

Government urged to move faster

More than two-thirds of those surveyed said the government was not moving fast enough to address the cost of living crisis.

Some acknowledged that Andy Burnham’s government had not been in office long and that ministers were working within the limits of the country’s finances, but others said the urgency of rising costs demanded a faster response.

“People need help right now, not in months to come,” said one Labour voter from Yorkshire.

Another Labour voter from the South West offered a more measured assessment and said: “They could be faster, but they’re getting there.”

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Budget seen as fairer, but opinions on Burnham and Healey split

Most respondents said the Budget had made the country fairer, but some said the changes would make little difference to ordinary people.

One Conservative voter from the South East said the Budget moved the country in a “slightly more fair direction”, but a Labour voter also from the region said the country would not change significantly “until the richest get taxed more and get away with tax avoidance less”.

Opinions on Andy Burnham and John Healey’s leadership were more divided.

Although positive respondents described the Prime Minister and Chancellor as approachable and more in touch with ordinary people, critics questioned whether politicians could be trusted – or even called for a general election.

One Labour voter said: “I’ll still reserve judgement as it’s early days, but it certainly seems promising”, while a Reform voter from the East Midlands said the Labour government “still needed to do more positives to convince me”.

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‘Government has goodwill from voters’

Emma Burnell, editor of LabourList, said: “Voters might think the government is going too slowly, but they clearly think that it is moving in the right direction. That is much preferable to the alternative sense of moving fast in the wrong direction.

“This government has goodwill from the voters who seem to understand the constraints they are under, even if they are frustrated by them. If this was a ‘breathing space’ Budget, the government has given that to themselves as much as to voters.

“But in the 10-year plan and the spending review there will need to be a sense of long-term vision. Voters and Labour members will need reassurance that the competency and reassurance displayed today can also be put to work making the big changes Burnham promised on taking office.”

‘People welcome the help, but most say it’s too little and too late’

Damian Lyons Lowe, founder and chief executive of Survation, said: “Four in five brought up their bills, the £100 payment or the standing charge, and most did so in answers to questions that weren’t about energy at all. 

“People did welcome the help. The £100 payment was the measure they mentioned most, and many felt it was fair to ask the banks to pay for it. But what we heard most was that it’s too little and too late.”

‘More must be done if people are to truly feel better off’

Veronica Hawking, campaign director at 38 Degrees, said: “Every single time voters visit the supermarket or open an energy bill, they are hit by the overwhelming cost of living. It’s therefore no surprise that this is top of voters’ minds and they welcome measures that will ease this a little; like £100 towards bills, ending standing charges and tariffs that cut food prices. 

“But we heard loud and clear from voters that more must be done if people are to truly feel better off. Voters from across the political spectrum want a country that is fairer, and where those who can afford to pay more – from banks, to profiteering energy companies, to the ultra-wealthy – do so.

“Ultimately, the Government must keep its foot on the pedal and keep putting more money back in families’ pockets.  Voters have clearly told us that if they are to be given real ‘breathing space’ from the relentless cost of living crisis, these measures must only be the very start. The message to Andy Burnham and John Healey after their first budget is that if they fearlessly pursue bigger, bolder change that benefits ordinary people, voters will back them to do so.”

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