Significant rise of ’no confidence’ in government’s handling of Covid-19

Over a quarter (27%) of people in England have said that they have 'no confidence at all' in the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, up from just 6% at the start of lockdown, find UCL researchers as part of the Covid-19 Social Study. The number of people in England who 'on balance' do not have confidence in the government's handling has also more than doubled in the last 6 months, from 25% at the start of lockdown to 56% now. Less than 5% of respondents in England report having 'full confidence' in the government. In Wales, confidence remains higher, with a quarter (25%) 'on balance' not having confidence in the Welsh Government, an almost identical figure to the start of lockdown (26%). Just 6% of people in Wales report having 'no confidence at all' in the Welsh Government's handling of the pandemic, the same as at the start of lockdown, and 15% have 'full confidence'. Levels of 'full confidence' in the Scottish Government remain higher than at the start of lockdown (17% vs. 10%) but have fallen significantly since the peak of 34% in July.