In my presentation at Netroots UK I included graphs showing how public opinion on the cuts has moved since the election using data from YouGov.

Yesterday they published a further data set for a poll conducted Jan 8-10 in which they have again asked these questions.

In a weak joke I have made far too many times I say one pole does not make a telegraph system. I have high regard for YouGov, but the laws of probability mean that polls are occasionally inaccurate.

But if today’s polls are right then there has been a significant move in public opinion as the astute Anthony Wells notes. More people expect to be diectly hit by the cuts, there is a marked shift in whether people think they are good for the economy (which is the one I think is crucial) and the majority who say they are unfair has increased again.

Net directly affected by cuts (ie those who think they will be directly affected by the cuts minus those who do not)

.

Net good for the economy

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Net being done fairly

Public opinion is therefore moving away from the coalition.

But there is no room for complacency.

For the first time YouGov has asked the question that I would have liked to have been there from the beginning, which is whether the cuts are necessary or unnecessary:

• 52 per cent say necessary
• 35 per cent say unnecessary

As a snap-shot question it doesn’t tell us a great deal as some people would have said “necessary” even if they think the depth and scale of what the government is doing is too great, but if it’s going to be used as a tracker question in future it will be interesting to see how it moves.

And while I’ve not tracked this question in previous polls (though it has been asked):

• 40 per cent say the last Labour government is most to blame for the cuts
• 22 per cent say the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.

So things are a little better than they were in the pre-Christmas polls – particularly on ‘good for the economy’ – but there is still a long way to go so nothing in what I said needs adjusting despite some encouragement in this latest data set.

Reader comments

1. Liberal Conspiracy

   Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC

2. Martin McIvor

   RT @libcon: Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC

3. Max Hernández Calvo

   RT @libcon: Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC

4. cheesley

   RT @libcon: Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC

5. Matt Jeffs

   RT @libcon: Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC

6. Sirena Bergman

   Interesting stats on the public opinion on cuts: http://bit.ly/gF45Zq

7. Andy Bean

   RT @libcon: Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC

8. Tweetminster

   "Public opinion moves further against cuts" http://bit.ly/f3ATDB – Liberal Conspiracy

9. Jonathan Welsh

   RT @tweetminster: "Public opinion moves further against cuts" http://bit.ly/f3ATDB – Liberal Conspiracy

10. JAMES

    RT @tweetminster: "Public opinion moves further against cuts" http://bit.ly/f3ATDB – Liberal Conspiracy

11. JamieSW

    RT @tweetminster: "Public opinion moves further against cuts" http://bit.ly/f3ATDB – Liberal Conspiracy

12. Pat Cox

    RT @tweetminster: "Public opinion moves further against cuts" http://bit.ly/f3ATDB – Liberal Conspiracy

13. Pucci Dellanno

    RT @libcon: Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC @noUKcuts @nick_clegg @NaomiAKlein @ggreenwald @johannhari101

14. wmd-gnome

    RT @libcon: Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC

15. Becky Wright

    RT @NigelStanley: I update the polling on cuts presented at #netrootsuk. Looks significant, but still someway to go. http://bit.ly/goVLcP

16. Rachael

    RT @libcon: Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC

17. Celyn

    RT @libcon: Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC

18. Daniel Pitt

    RT @libcon: Public opinion moves further against cuts http://bit.ly/fNKeNC

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