Thread by @sundersays

I began producing a weekly Friday memo on attitudes during Covid as lockdown began. But I did not foresee producing 37 of them, nor to be carrying on in 2021.

Here is the first edition of 2021 from @jake_puddle and I. (PDF). Key points follow in thread

britishfuture.org/wp-content/upl…

A new year began with gloomy news of a new national lockdown - but with a broad public consensus that it was necessary, by 85% (62% strongly) to 11% opposed (6% strongly). As throughout 2020, older people were more strongly pro-lockdown than young adults (with 1 in 6 opposed)

Among general public, partisanship effects are pretty weak. Conservative support is 87-13 (+74), Labour support is 91-7 (+84). But age effects cross-pressure the mild tendency to more scepticism among Conservatives or Leavers. (Young + politically disengaged more sceptical too)

77% told YouGov the government should have introduced these changes sooner (including 68% of Conservatives) while 11% felt the timing was right (3% too soon). This does not appear to be a hindsight view: it aligns with 78% support for a national lockdown in a December 22nd poll.;

ComResSavanta, asking about the pandemic as a whole, found that 62% feel the government has been too slow to act, while 13% that they have moved too early [ie, been too restrictive].

That broad support for lockdown does not translate into high public confidence that it will prove very effective - just 15% think so. Most think a lockdown will make some difference (perhaps limiting the damage rather than transforming the situation). (YouGov)

So government approval has ticked up, on the weekly YouGov tracker. 32% (Jan 4th fieldwork) was+3-5% compared to the December scores: that looks like a small Brexit deal bounce, though lockdown news may influence this next week yougov.co.uk/topics/politic…

ComResSavanta showed a dip in Keir Starmer's ratings (to -8) after Christmas, converging close to the PM (-11). Those trackers on them and other public figures available here
savanta.com/coronavirus-da…

Most important issues into this new year? Health (64%) ahead of Economy (55%) Securing a Brexit deal enabled the salience of Brexit to fall from 61% to 34% in a week, reflecting both importance of that decisive phase & probably exhaustion of many people with this issue. (YouGov)