- Churchill Best, Brown Worst As Britons Assess Their Prime Ministers
Winston Churchill remains a revered political figure in Britain, while a majority of respondents consider Gordon Brown as a bad head of government, new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
The online survey of a representative sample of 2,025 British adults asked respondents to say whether the 13 politicians who have lived at 10 Downing Street since the end of the Second World War have been “good” or “bad.”
Three-in-five Britons (74%) think Churchill was a good prime minister, while only six per cent believe he was bad. Almost half of respondents (47%) think Margaret Thatcher was a good head of government, but 40 per cent believe she was bad.
Along with Churchill and Thatcher, three other British prime ministers managed to get a larger proportion of “good” responses than “bad” responses: Harold Wilson (37% to 18%), Harold Macmillan (28% to 12%) and Clement Attlee (21% to 10%).
At least two-in-five respondents believe three of the last four British prime ministers have been bad: David Cameron (44%), John Major (45%), and Tony Blair (48%).
The lowest ranked head of government is Gordon Brown, with the proportion of negative reviews outranking positive ones by a 3-to-1 margin (65% to 19%).
Consult our September 2009 survey on Prime Ministers.
Download Full Tables
Download Full Methodology Statement
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com
Methodology: From January 22 to January 23, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 2,009 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.2%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
- Canadians Support Non-Combat Role for Troops in Afghanistan
Most Canadians are in favour of their government’s decision to keep soldiers in Afghanistan to help train the local military, but many also believe this mission should not be extended beyond 2014, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,001 Canadian adults, 40 per cent of respondents believe Canada made a mistake in sending military forces to Afghanistan in 2002, while 36 per cent think Canada did the right thing.
The federal government’s decision to keep 950 soldiers in Afghanistan until 2014 in a strictly non-combat role to help train the Afghan military is endorsed by a majority of Canadians (54%), including two thirds of respondents in British Columbia and Alberta (66%).
However, about three-in-five respondents (58%) disagree with extending Canada’s non-combat role after 2014.
Across Canada, two thirds of respondents (65%) disagree with the assertion that Afghanistan will never again become a safe haven for international terrorism, and a similar proportion (69%) believe the war in Afghanistan was not worth the human and financial toll.
Quebecers are more likely to call the mission in Afghanistan a mistake (52%), to disagree with an extension of Canada’s non-combat role (67%), and to state that the war was not worth the human and financial toll (77%).
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com
Methodology: From January 27 to January 28, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,001 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
- Most Americans Reject the Use of Torture on Terrorism Suspects
People in the United States hold differing views on various foreign policy principles, but only a third are ready to justify the torture of terrorism suspects, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,008 American adults, half of respondents (50%) agree with the notion that the U.S. Government should continue to be the global leader to solve international disputes, while two-in-five (41%) disagree.
The proportion of Democrats and Republicans who endorse the continuation of this role for the United States is exactly the same (54%), while Independents are not as convinced about this idea (43%).
The Use of Force and Regime Change
The political divergence is more evident in a question related to the U.S. Government only using force against another nation with authorization from the United Nations (UN). Half of all Americans (50%)—and 49 per cent of Independents—agree with this principle, but Democrats are far more likely to endorse it (63%) than Republicans (37%).
Almost half of Americans (48%) agree with the notion that the U.S. Government should overthrow dictatorships and change regimes if it believes they pose an imminent threat. The views of Democrats (45%) and Independents (44%) are nuanced, while three-in-five Republicans (59%) approve this foreign policy principle.
Torture
Only one third of Americans (34%) believe the U.S. Government should rely on torture to gain information from terrorism suspects. Democrats (24%) are less likely than Independents (37%) and Republicans (45%) to reject this idea.
Analysis
Following the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Americans appear to be becoming more “dovish” when assessing the potential reach of their federal government in the global stage. Half of respondents want the U.S. to remain the global leader to solve international disputes, but the same proportion also believe force should only be used against another nation in the context of a UN mandate.
A slightly lower number of Americans endorse “regime change” in the event of an imminent threat from a dictatorship, but the idea of using torture to gain information from terrorism suspects is only supported by a third of respondents.
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com
Methodology: From January 27 to January 28, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,008 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
- Dix Surpasses Clark as Best Choice for Premier in British Columbia
Opposition leader Adrian Dix has surpassed incumbent Premier Christy Clark as the person British Columbians would like to see in charge of the provincial government, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
The online survey of a representative provincial sample of 800 British Columbian adults also shows that the New Democratic Party (NDP) has extended its advantage over the governing BC Liberals, who have dropped to their lowest level since Clark took over from Gordon Campbell as party leader.
Political Scene
Across British Columbia, 42 per cent of decided voters and leaners (+2 since November) will support the NDP candidate in their constituency in the next provincial election, followed by the BC Liberals with 28 per cent (-3), the BC Conservatives with 19 per cent (+1) and the BC Greens with 10 per cent (+2).
Half of decided voters in Vancouver Island (51%) and two-in-five in Metro Vancouver (42%) would vote for the NDP in the next provincial election. The BC Conservatives have reached the 20 per cent mark in both Metro Vancouver and the Interior. The BC Liberals are now second to the NDP among men (32% to 37%) and the gap with female voters is becoming wider, with the NDP ahead among women by 23 points (47% to 24%). The governing party post its best results with respondents aged 55 and over (31%, still nine points behind the NDP).
While the NDP is holding on to practically nine-in-ten of its voters in 2009 (88%), the BC Liberals can only count on the support of three-in-five of their supporters in the last provincial ballot (60%). One-in-four BC Liberal voters in 2009 (27%) are now supporting the BC Conservatives and one-in-ten (10%) are choosing the NDP.
Issues, Approval and Momentum
The economy is regarded as the most important issue facing British Columbia by 27 per cent of respondents (-2), followed by health care (21%, +4), leadership (7%), poverty (also 7%), tax relief (6%) and the environment (6%).
The approval rating for Premier and BC Liberals leader Christy Clark is 40 per cent (+1). Official Opposition and NDP leader Adrian Dix improved to 45 per cent (+5). Green Party leader Jane Sterk (25%, +4) and BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins (23%, +4) hold lower numbers, but show positive progress since November.
On the preferred premier question, Dix is the top choice for the first time (26%, +7 since November), followed by Clark (22%, -3), Cummins (8%, -1) and Sterk (3%, +1). Dix continues to be the only provincial party leader able to post a positive momentum score (+6), while Cummins (-2), Sterk (-6) and Clark (-24) had negative numbers once again.
On issues, the advantages of the BC Liberal incumbent have narrowed dramatically. Clark and Dix are virtually tied as being the best person to deal with the economy (24% to 23%) and crime (19% to 20%). Clark is ahead on federal/provincial relations (27% to 21%), but Dix is the clear leader on health care (33% to 20%) and education (30% to 21%). Sterk is regarded as the best leader to deal with the environment (26%, with Dix second at 22%).
Analysis
The last time the BC Liberals dropped below the 30 per cent mark in voting intention, Gordon Campbell was about to deliver his resignation speech in early November 2010. The governing party is now losing a quarter of its electors in 2009 to the BC Conservatives, and Clark has lost her edge on issues like crime and the economy, which her predecessor used to dominate, even at the pinnacle of his unpopularity.
The BC Conservatives are slowly getting closer to the 20 per cent mark at the provincial level, and are gaining ground in Metro Vancouver and the Interior. Still, their leader is not particularly well-known at this stage and is not carrying any significant momentum on issues.
The NDP holds the same level of support it had in the last provincial election, but Dix is now regarded as the best person to head the government in Victoria. The survey also shows that the NDP base appears satisfied with the decision to bring in a new leader. Dix’s predecessor Carole James was not able to be seen as a premier-in-waiting even after the controversy that led to Campbell’s resignation.
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com
Methodology: From January 27 to January 29, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 800 randomly selected British Columbia adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.5%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of British Columbia. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
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