Coronavirus: Support for UK government’s response hits new low, poll finds
The government’s approval rating for their response to the coronavirus pandemic has hit a new low, a YouGov survey has found, with only three in 10 thinking they’ve handled the crisis well.
As new coronavirus restrictions are introduced, 63 per cent of British people said they thought the government had handled the pandemic badly.
The new poll brings the government’s net approval score on the issue to a record low of -33.
This is a substantial drop from last week’s -18 score as well as from the previous record of -22 measured in August – and a far cry from the +51 rating recorded at beginning of the lockdown in late March.
However, a majority of Conservative voters (58 per cent) continue to think the government have done a good job in handling the outbreak.
Meanwhile, in the week that saw the ‘rule of six’ measure introduced, 70 per cent of Britons said the national coronavirus situation was worsening, while just 14 per cent said it was improving.
Under the new rule, introduced in the wake of a surge of new coronavirus infections, any social gathering of more than six people in England is against the law and those in breach may face fines of up to £3,200. The rule applies to both gatherings held inside and outdoors.
The proportion of people who believe the situation is deteriorating has risen from 54 per cent last week, and from 31 per cent in late August.
A separate YouGov poll conducted on 16 September found nearly one in two (49 per cent) think the public would be primarily to blame for a second coronavirus wave, while only 31 per cent would consider the government chiefly responsible.
The results come as fresh lockdown restrictions are expected to be imposed on large swathes of northeast England.
Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham are all expected to be impacted by measures from Friday that will include a ban on socialising between households and a 10pm curfew for pubs.
Meanwhile, the proportion of people in England receiving an in-person coronavirus test result within the government’s 24-hour target window has dropped to its lowest level since mid-June, with only a third (33.3 per cent) getting their results back in time.
The figure has plummeted from 66.5 per cent in the previous week, while many patients have also been offered slots hundreds of miles from where they live, or unable to get a coronavirus test at all.
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