The party manifestos suggest a real difference of emphasis between Labour and Conservatives on the role of the state, but will the public accept David Cameron’s invitation for greater involvement, local control and personal responsibility?

1. Do the public really want to join the government of Britain? Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute briefing pack 21 st April 2010

2. The party manifestos suggest a real difference of emphasis between Labour and Conservatives on the role of the state

3. “ Real change comes when the people are inspired and mobilised, when millions of us are fired up to play a part in the nation’s future.” “ So my invitation today is this: join us, to form a new kind of government for Britain” “ The role of government: to stand by ordinary people so they can change their lives for the better. It is our belief that it is active, reforming government, not absent government, that helps make people powerful.”

4. Will the public accept David Cameron’s invitation for greater involvement, local control and personal responsibility?

7. People say they are interested in being more involved

8. In fact, around half say they would get more involved locally Your local area? Don't know Fairly involved Very involved Not very involved Not involved at all The country as a whole? Q To what extent, if at all, would you like to be involved in decision making in . . . . Base:1,051 British adults 18+. Fieldwork dates: 11th - 17th December 2008

9. Although when asked in more detail, 5% want active involvement, 24% want a say and the rest happy with information or don’t care…

10. … BUT that’s still nearly 9 million people who say they want to influence more Base: 1,896 GB adults, 18+. Sept 2008. Source: Ipsos MORI Q Levels of involvement/interest in involvement in local services 47% 24% 16% Already involved (4%) Want active involvement (5%) Want more of a say Just want information Don’t care BUT still 1.5m people And 7.2m people

11. Most do support greater involvement in principle - but many fewer say they personally want to get involved Don’t know/no opinion Yes, support No, oppose Support Involvement Q In principle, would you support or oppose extending Community Partnerships to other parts of the Borough? No Depends Yes Q And would you personally be interested in getting involved? Don’t know Base: All respondents who support the idea (835) Base: All residents from one London Borough (1,021)

12. And in practice, only a tiny proportion usually do… Don’t know/no opinion Yes, support No, oppose Support Involvement Q In principle, would you support or oppose extending Community Partnerships to other parts of the Borough? No Depends Yes Q And would you personally be interested in getting involved? Don’t know Base: All respondents who support the idea (835) Base: All residents from one London borough (1,021) Actual proportion who got involved: 2%

13. Having lots of people wanting to be involved not always a positive sign - if things are going well people are happy for services to get on with it – local government example… Base: Residents in each of 3 Local Authorities Local authority A Local authority B Local authority C % of residents who want to be involved Net satisfaction with local authority … it’s when things are bad that people most want to get involved

14. A third currently volunteer monthly – and this is pretty stable across recent years Proportion who have given any unpaid help to non-relatives in the last 12 months Base: All valid responses from core sample in England (~8,000 surveyed per wave) Source: Citizenship Survey

15. Those that do volunteer want to make a difference Base: All in England who participate in formal volunteering (5,229) Source: Citizenship survey 2008/09 Mentions It gave me a chance to get a recognised qualification I had received voluntary help It helps me get on in my career I felt there was no one else to do it It's part of my religious belief to help people I thought it would give me a chance to learn new skills My friends/family did it It's part of my philosophy of life to help people I felt there was a need in my community It was connected with the needs of my family/friends I thought it would give me a chance to use my existing skills I wanted to meet people/make friends I had spare time to do it The cause was really important to me I wanted to improve things/help people

16. Those that don’t want to be more involved don’t have time Q What factors, if any, prevent you from getting more involved in the decision making process? I don’t have enough time I’m not given the opportunity to get involved There is not point, my opinion won’t be listened to anyway I am disillusioned/cynical/feel politicians are untrustworthy Base: All who feel they don’t have influence and would like to be involved in decision making (459) Fieldwork dates: 11th - 17th December 2008 Top 4 mentions

17. Need to remember that people who get involved do not always feel empowered – in fact, more who are currently involved in local decision-making bodies do NOT feel they can influence decisions than do…

18. 15% 85% Involved in decision-making bodies on local issues 9% 6% CAN influence decisions CANNOT influence decisions NOT a happy group… - half the level of satisfaction with council, half as likely to feel informed, half as likely to think views sought… There are lots of unhappy involved people… Yes No Source: Place Survey 2008/9

19. Most currently don’t feel they have influence over public services… I have influence over how public services are delivered Q On balance, do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? % Strongly agree % Tend to agree % Strongly disagree % Tend to disagree Base: 1,012 British adults, 7-9 March 2008 Source: Ipsos MORI Delivery Index

20. … or decisions affecting their local area. This trend has been very static over time – despite government initiatives Q Do you agree or disagree that you can influence decisions affecting your local area/Great Britain? Base: All valid responses from core sample in England (~8,000 surveyed per wave) Source: Citizenship Survey It is going to very difficult to shift perceptions of influence

21. But people are contradictory on levels of local control they’d like. On the one hand, they support quite radical approaches to greater local control…

22. … for example, two thirds happy to see more neighbourhood control over police resources… If neighbourhoods take more responsibility for addressing crime and anti-social behaviour (such as through reporting crime or monitoring community CCTV), they should be given more control over police resources

23. … but on the other hand people want services to be the same in all local areas Please read each pair of statements and decide which comes closest to your own opinion A. Standards of public services should be the same everywhere in Britain B. The people who live in different parts of Britain should be able to decide for themselves what standard of public services should be provided in their area Base: 2,019 British adults, 9 May-5 June 2008 Source: Ipsos MORI Real Trends

24. Partly driven by a national obsession with the “postcode lottery” – try entering the term into newspaper search engines…

25. … a lot of news coverage of “postcode lotteries” “ Over 100 items” “ 637 items” But this is NOT just a media obsession, driven by real concerns about fairness. With greater local control people will need more reassurance about minimum standards and support for the less able “ 310 items”

26. What about plans for greater involvement in education and the police?

27. One in eight people would like to get involved in police service provision Base: 1,994 British adults, 14-21 August 2008 Which of the following statements comes closest to your own attitudes towards your local police force? I'm not interested in what the police does as long as they do their job I like to know what the police are doing, but I'm happy to let them get on with their job I would like to have more of a say in what the police does, and the services they provide I'm not interested in what the police do, or whether they do their job I already work for, or am involved with, the police and the services they provide Don’t know % choosing answer

28. Four in five Scottish parents are happy with the level of parental involvement in schools… Too few opportunities Too many demands Balance is about right Base: 1,000 parents of children aged 5-16 (inclusive) in state school education in Scotland, conducted from 4-25 July 2005 How would you describe the opportunities you have to be involved in the life of the SCHOOL? Do you think there are too few opportunities to get involved, too many demands made on parents or do you think the balance is about right?

29. … although, on the other hand, almost half say they want more involvement Yes Don’t know No Base: 1,000 parents of children aged 5-16 (inclusive) in state school education in Scotland, conducted from 4-25 July 2005 Would you personally like to be more involved in the life of school?

30. But just a quarter support the idea of schools being set up by organisations other than the local council Neither/nor Very good Don’t know Very bad Fairly bad No view either way Base: 1,211 adults age 15+ in England, 5-11 March 2010; Ipsos MORI Capibus for NASUWT/Unison Some people have suggested that more schools in the future could be run directly by private companies, religious groups, charities or groups of parents, rather than being run by the local council as they generally are now. How far do you believe this is a good or bad idea, or do you have no view either way? Fairly good Net good: -20%

31. And local councils are seen to be best-placed to run schools % naming this group Overall, which, if any, of the following do you think is the most appropriate group to run state-funded schools? Base: 1,211 adults age 15+ in England, 5-11 March 2010; Ipsos MORI Capibus for NASUWT/Unison

32. While a third think parent groups should not be running schools % naming this group Overall, which, if any, of the following do you think should not run state-funded schools? Base: 1,211 adults age 15+ in England, 5-11 March 2010; Ipsos MORI Capibus for NASUWT/Unison 46% ABs vs. 22% DEs

33. Big society vs Big government…

34. We don’t know whether we want to be American or Scandinavian… Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor A society which emphasises the social and collective provision of welfare A society where individuals are encouraged to look after themselves A society which allows people to make and keep as much money as they can A society which emphasises similar incomes and rewards for everyone People have different views about the ideal society. For each of these statements, please tell me which one comes closest to your ideal. Base: c. 1,000 British adults 18+ each month

35. Public do believe there’s a problem in society – and see taking more responsibility as part of the solution … …for example, one of the few things nearly all GB citizens agree on is parents needing to take more responsibility for their children…

36. … although they are thinking of other parents and other people’s children… Parents should be made to take more responsibility for the behaviour of their children % Agree 15-29 84 30-49 95 50-64 95 65+ 94 AB 91 C1 95 C2 94 DE 88 Base: 2,019 British adults, 9 May-5 June 2008 Source: Ipsos MORI Real Trends Study

37. A quarter believe individual unwillingness to take responsibility explains poverty % choosing answer Q4. Moving on, why, in your opinion, are there people who live in need? Here are four opinions: which is closest to yours? Base: 1,994 British adults, 14-21 August 2008 Because of laziness and a lack of willpower Because there is so much injustice in our society It’s an inevitable part of modern progress Because they have been unlucky None of these Don’t know

38. And we recognise that by taking responsibility for ourselves, we can improve our health % mentioning factors Q10. Looking at this card, which factors, if any, do you think have the biggest impact on your chances of living a long and healthy life? Base: 1,994 British adults, 14-21 August 2008

39. In a more responsible society, what role do people want the state to play?

40. No clear view on role of state – on one hand, people should be responsible… Please read each pair of statements and decide which comes closest to your own opinion Base: 2,019 British adults, 9 May-5 June 2008 Agree much more with A Agree much more with B People should be responsible for making their own decisions about their health and welfare - it is no business of the state to interfere The state should take responsibility for the public's health and welfare - it must protect people from making mistakes they will regret later

41. … but on the other hand, we don’t know Please read each pair of statements and decide which comes closest to your own opinion Base: 2,019 British adults, 9 May-5 June 2008 Agree much more with A Agree much more with B It is the government's responsibility to influence people's behaviour to encourage healthy lifestyles The government should not get involved with interfering in people's lifestyles

42. We want govt to pass more laws to protect people, while also leaving decisions to people’s own judgement! “ The Govt should do more to protect people by passing laws that ban dangerous activities” “ The Govt does not trust ordinary people to make their own decisions about dangerous activities” 62% agree 61% agree Q How strongly do you agree or disagree that…. % Strongly agree % Tend to agree % Tend to disagree % Strongly disagree Base: 1,015 GB adults aged 16+ Source: Ipsos MORI

43. But pretty clear that the public don’t think experts know best Please read each pair of statements and decide which comes closest to your own opinion Base: 2,019 British adults, fieldwork dates 9th May – 17th June 2008 A. The experts who provide and manage public services know best – they should find out what we think and get on with it B. The general public should be much more actively involved in shaping public services, through for example people deciding on priorities

44. Role of the state depends on the issue at stake?

45. Half agree that government should punish bad parents – even by taking away benefits Neither support nor oppose Tend to support Tend to oppose Strongly support Strongly oppose Q How strongly would you support or oppose the following: ‘ Parents who fail to bring up their children properly should lose eligibility for family payments’ Source: Ipsos MORI – Base 2,000 respondents No opinion

46. Public do support govt intervention on issues like climate change – even if it means behaviour change Strongly agree Q How strongly do you agree or disagree that . . . ? The government should take the lead in combating climate change, even if it means using the law to change people’s behaviour Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know Neither/nor Base: 2,037 British adults, 14-20 June 2007

47. So we want leadership from Government (but we’re sceptical about it) Q To what extent do you agree or disagree that……? I want to see the Government do more on climate change % Disagree % Agree Climate change is being used by the Government as an excuse to raise taxes I am worried the Government, in taking action on climate change, will try to restrict the things I want to do Base: 1,039 GB adults aged 15+, interviewed face-to-face and in home, 23-29 May 2008

48. But in the end, evidence suggests that people taking more responsibility and getting involved can make a real difference…

49. 0.80 Satisfaction with involvement in decision-making and ratings of overall inpatient care R 2 = 0.7466 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.75 0.80 0.85 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.75 Satisfaction with involvement in decision-making Ratings of overall care Norfolk & Norwich N. Middlesex Ealing Aintree East Kent Coventry & Warks Tameside & Glossop Northampton Correlation between being involved in decision-making and happier patients Source: NHS inpatient survey 2006

50. Those who feel consulted are also more likely to feel issues are being successfully dealt with Base: All valid responses, Place Survey 2008/09 (Excludes City of London) Source: Ipsos MORI Ashfield East Northants East Northants Merton

51. For information, visit the Ipsos MORI General Election Centre: http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchspecialisms/socialresearch/specareas/politics/generalelection2010.aspx Please direct queries or press requests to: [email_address] [email_address] Daniel.Cameron@ipsos.com Tomasz.Mludzinski@ipsos.com