The State and its Institutions
www.policy-network.net
Analysis of unique comparative polling
prepared by You Gov for Policy
Network
Fieldwork was undertaken 18-22 March 2011.
Total sample size for the online survey was
1063 British, 1086 US, 1010 Swedish and 1184
German adults.
Full poll available at www.policy-network.net
Patrick Diamond
Senior research fellow at Policy Network
www.policy-network.net
Low trust in state capacity after the crisis
• Voters are fearful of major corporate interests: 85% in the
UK, 83% in Germany, 69% in the US, & 60% in Sweden
believe big companies care only about profit
• Has the state been hijacked by vested interests? Germany
48%, US 47%, UK 38%, & Sweden 17%
• The bureaucratic and inefficient state remains a central
concern in all four countries: 45% in the US, 44% in Sweden,
41% in Germany, & 40% in the UK
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The politics of ‘tax-and-spend’
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But even a significant proportion of nonsocial democratic voters are prepared to
pay higher taxes
UK
Sweden
Lib Dem voters
51%
Conservative voters
32%
US
Republican voters
Moderate party voters
37%
Germany
17%
CDU voters
47%
FDP voters
41%
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Attachment to traditional welfare state
• Despite the shift towards social investment, voters are
attached to the pillars of the post-war welfare state - majorities
want healthcare and pensions protected
• When asked what could be cut in order to invest in early years
provision, the majority are largely unwilling to cut other
welfare entitlements: 60% in Germany, 52% in Sweden, 49% in
the US, & 34% in the UK
• When ranking workplace priorities, job security is what
matters to voters, especially women
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Belief in the State’s transformative
capacity
‘However critical we are of particular government
decisions, it remains the case that governments have the
power to transform society for the better’:
UK
53%
US
44%
Sweden
44%
Germany
55%
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The State and its Institutions
www.policy-network.net