Poll Shows Majority Support For 'Strong Leader' In UK

Poll Shows Majority Support For 'Strong Leader' In UK

More than half of British people think the UK's society is broken (56%) and the nation is in decline (57%), and a majority feel a "strong leader" is needed to turn the country around, according to a new survey.

The Ipsos Mori poll found low levels of trust among British voters in the Government - with 66% saying they had little or no confidence in it - political parties (79%), big companies (68%), banks (67%) and the media (75%).

More than two thirds of those questioned (67%) agreed the UK needs "a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful" and half (50%) wanted "a strong leader willing to break the rules".

In a measure of the appeal of "populist" politics, a majority (65%) said they would be attracted by a political leader or party who "stands up for the common people against the elite", while 64% said they preferred "outspoken" politicians and 46% said they would be ready to back leaders who "say what they think, even if it offends others".

Almost four in 10 (38%) said they would favour a leader or party that prioritised people born in their own country.

Some 44% said they would be more likely to vote for someone who wanted to radically change the status quo, compared to just 17% who were attracted by leaders or parties having been in power before.

Over two-thirds of Britons questioned (67%) said the economy was rigged in favour of the rich and powerful and 58% did not believe politicians cared about them.

More than a third (36%) said that they feel like "a stranger in their own country".

The survey showed support for controls on immigration, with 67% of Britons saying it should not be completely uncontrolled. But only 31% said the UK would be stronger if immigration was stopped altogether.

Almost half (48%) said employers should prioritise hiring UK nationals over immigrants, but the proportion backing this policy fell to 30% if it resulted in slower job growth.

Concern over terrorism resulted in 43% of Britons saying it should be stopped "at all costs", even if it meant ignoring people's civil rights.

However, some "pluralist" positions were also found to be popular, with 69% more likely to vote for someone who "listens to alternative points of view", 55% someone ready to make compromises and 53% someone who will stand up for minorities.

The figures emerged from a 23-nation Global Adviser survey, which found a majority (58%) seeing their own society as "broken" - with the highest levels of discontent in Poland (79%), Spain (78%) and Brazil (77%).

Even among the populations most satisfied with their country's condition, almost one-third (31% in Japan, 32% in Israel and India) said society was broken.

Appetite for a "strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful" averaged 63% and was strongest in Mexico (81%) with Spain (72%), France (70%) and the USA (69%) not far behind.

Some 80% of those questioned in France, which will choose a new president in the spring, said they wanted a "strong leader willing to break the rules" - well above the international average of 49%.

Ipsos Mori's research director Gideon Skinner said: "These findings reveal a worrying lack of confidence in the traditional political establishment around the world – although it was probably never that high – and not much more confidence in other key institutions such as the media, courts, or big business either."

:: Ipsos Mori interviewed 16,597 adults in 23 countries - including 1,004 in the UK - between October 21 and November 4 2016.

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