The economy and inflation remain the country’s biggest concerns

The October 2023 Ipsos Issues Index shows the economy, inflation and the NHS remain the most mentioned important issues facing Britain.

Thirty-eight per cent of the British public see the economy as an important issue for the country, almost unchanged since last month. It is most likely to be mentioned as the single biggest issue, selected by more than a fifth of Britons (22%).

There has been a five percentage-point increase in concern about inflation, after it dropped to the lowest level since March 2022 last month. Thirty-five per cent see it as a concern, making it the second-biggest issue facing the country.

Concern about the NHS has also risen, with almost a third (31%) now naming it as an important issue for the country. Concern is considerably higher among Labour party supporters compared with Conservative supporters (37% vs 21%).

Immigration remains the fourth-biggest issue for Britain, mentioned by 22%, which is a small decrease on the level of concern recorded in September (26%). Concern about this topic is uneven across the country: it is the joint-biggest issue facing the country for Conservative Party supporters, with 39% mentioning it, against 38% for inflation and 36% for the economy.  By contrast, just 15% of Labour supporters and nine per cent of 18-34 year olds mention immigration as a concern.

Housing has become the fifth biggest issue facing the country, mentioned by 16% of Britons – the highest score for this issue since the 2019 General Election.

Mike Clemence, a researcher at Ipsos, said, “Public concerns are showing signs of change, from being solely economic to factoring in worry about the National Health Service and immigration.

Housing is another rising issue, while the proportion who are worried about crime has reached double figures for only the second time since start of the pandemic.”