UK: Public opinion on coronavirus – 15th July
Conservative lead rises to 8 points as approval of the government’s handling of the crisis continues to improve
The Conservatives have gained two points while Labour have lost two, taking the overall Tory lead from 4 points to 8. All other parties remain unchanged on last week with the Lib Dems and SNP on 6% each and the Greens on 4%.
From a record low at the beginning of July, approval of the government’s handling of the pandemic has continued to improve. The first major change came last week when disapproval dropped from 49% to 43% and this week the percentage approving has jumped from 33% to 38%. This takes the net approval level from -10 to -5 compared to -19 at the beginning of July, giving the government its most positive rating since mid-May.
A slow return with a large number still unwilling to risk going to bars and restaurants
Now that pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and shops are re-opening, we asked whether people would feel comfortable visiting them to determine whether there was pent up demand held back only by lockdown or whether people still feel cautious going out with the pandemic still raging.
Visiting the hairdresser is the main amenity British adults are willing to brave coronavirus for and while pubs, restaurants and public transport all feature, they all see as many people unwilling to risk it as willing.
You can find the full report here.
You can find the full data tables here.