Ipsos MORI held a successful Summer Review on 10 July. We were very pleased to have Lord (Gus) O'Donnell GCB, former Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service join us. Lord O’Donnell considered how the public sector changed during his time working for three consecutive Prime Ministers, and the challenges that lie ahead. Also joining us was Lin Homer CB, Chief Execcutive, Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs.

1. Ipsos MORI Summer Review
Follow the event live on Twitter #ipsosmorilive
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2. Public services: to the future and beyond
Ben Page, Chief Executive, Ipsos MORI
• 09/05/2012
ben.page@ipsos.com benatipsosmori
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3. A few of the challenges
• Debt crisis
• Aging population, inflation
• Rising expectations
• Difficult politics
• Massive differences in productivity between
public and private sector
• Need for “Amazon” paradigm
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4. So far
so good
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5. 12%
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6. Only one in three think government will improve public
services
Do you agree or disagree… “In the long term, this government’s policies will improve the state of
Britain’s public services”
Don't know
6%
Agree
Disagree
Net = -32
Base: 1,016 British adults 18+, 9 – 11 June 2012 Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor
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7. But always pretty negative!
Do you agree or disagree… “In the long term, this government’s policies will improve the state of
Britain’s public services”
2010 General Election;
% net 2001 General Election
(Jun 01) 2005 General Election
Brown as PM
(Jun 07)
Cameron as PM
(May 10)
agree (May 05)
Cameron elected
20 22 (Dec 05)
10
0 -2 0
-10 -10
-13
-20 -18
-30 -32
-34 -28 -29
-40
Base: c. 1,000 British adults 18+ each month Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor
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8. Pessimism about NHS and policing increasing
Thinking about the NHS/quality of education/way your area is policed over the next few years do
you expect it to get much better, get worse, stay the same, get worse or get much worse?
% net better
25
15
Education
5
-5
Policing
-15
NHS
-25
-35
Base: c.1,000 British adults 18+ each month Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor
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9. “The economy stupid” – blights everything
What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
70
Economy
60
50
Unemployment
40
30
Race /
immigration
20
NHS
10 Crime/
Law & Order
0
Base: representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
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10. Hysteresis
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11. “
A year of youth unemployment
reduces earnings 10 years later by
about 6% and means that individuals
spend an extra month unemployed
every year up to their mid-30s.
These effects diminish slowly in
later adult life but are still
”
present well into peoples' 40s..
Professor Paul Gregg and Lindsey Macmillan,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16156849
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12. A new world – where we expect our children to have a lower
quality of life than us
Q. When they reach your age, do you think your children will have a higher or lower quality of life
than you, or about the same?
% Higher % Lower
November 2011 23 42 35
April 2003 43 45 12
Base: 1,006 British adults aged 18+, 19th-21st November 2011 Source: Ipsos MORI
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13. Although maybe we shouldn’t underestimate our young people?
Q Which one of these sentences do you agree with the most?
Not stated
Neither of these
3%
It doesn’t matter how hard you 9%
try, you’ll only be successful in 5%
life if you’re from the right
background
84% It doesn’t matter what
background you’re from,
anyone can be a success in
life if they try hard enough
Base: 2757 11-16 year olds Source: Ipsos MORI Young People Omnibus (January – April 2012)
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14. We still
don’t agree on what
kind of society we
want to be
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15. Perceptions of the ideal society are changing – but slowly
People have different views about the ideal society. For each of these statements, please tell me
which one comes closest to your ideal.
% A society where individuals
70 are encouraged to look after
themselves
60 58 57
51 51 51
50
49 49 49
40
42 43 A society which emphasises
30 the social and collective
provision of welfare
20
10
0
Base: c. 1,000 British adults – repercentaged to exclude don’t knows Source: Ipsos MORI
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16. Many think government has done too much, but worry
about the vulnerable is increasing
To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:
% Strongly Agree % Agree % Disagree Strongly Disagree
In recent years government June ‘12 32 33 15 8
and public services have
tried to do too much, and
people should take more May ‘10 31 33 13 7
responsibility for their own
lives (Base: 515)
I am worried that
government and public June ‘12 30 38 14 5
services will do too little to
help people in the years 19 31 19 8
May ‘10
ahead (Base: 490)
Base: c500 British adults, 9 – 11 June 2012 Source: Ipsos MORI
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17. “There’s no
money left”
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18. A country divided over its deficit
“There is a real need to cut spending on public services in order to pay off the deficit”
70
58 59
60
Agree 57 56
49
50 48 46
51 43 44
40
44 45
40 43
41 44
37
35
30
Disagree 32 33
20
10
0
Oct-09
Apr-10
Oct-10
Apr-11
Oct-11
Apr-12
Jul-09
Aug-09
Sep-09
Dec-09
Jul-10
Aug-10
Sep-10
Dec-10
Jul-11
Aug-11
Sep-11
Dec-11
Jun-09
Jan-10
Jun-10
Jan-11
Jan-12
Jun-12
Feb-10
Mar-10
Feb-11
Mar-11
Jun-11
Feb-12
Mar-12
Nov-09
May-10
Nov-10
Nov-11
May-11
May-12
Base: c. British adults 18+ each month Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor
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19. Five principles from the As the fiscal pressures intensify, it
Open Public Services has also become increasingly
evident that we cannot hope to
White Paper: provide the needed improvements
in public services by spending yet
1. Choice and control more money on them.
2. Decentralisation
The case for radical reform has
3. Diversity therefore become even stronger
4. Fairness over the last six months.
5. Accountability
Oliver Letwin MP
Danny Alexander MP
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20. © Ipsos MORI

21. More now think Big Society is a good thing for their local area
Do you think the government’s plans for a Big Society are a good thing or a bad thing for your
local area?
February 2011 June 2012
10% 5%
Good thing
41% Won't make a 37% 46%
difference
39%
Bad thing
9% Don't know 12%
Base: 1,016 British adults, 9 – 11 June 2012 Source: Ipsos MORI Political Monitor
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22. The government is very
keen on behaviour
change, using it on organ
donation and in letters
from HMRC…..
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23. “If a man sees a fly, he aims at it”
“Spillage
was down
by 80%...”
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24. The challenge for politicians
and leaders in public services:
be brave and try new things
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25. In conclusion - change is coming
• Public accepts need for cuts in spending – to various degrees
• Doesn’t appreciate implications
• The public hate politicians but like the state when they need it:
conservative about changes in delivery
• Can we nudge people into being pro-social?
• As the state shrinks, what positive catalyst will there be for more
involvement in deprived areas?
• The crisis gives us the opportunity to have a debate
• New technology really does create huge opportunity: digital by
default
• Requires leadership to overcome “loss aversion”
• Good luck!
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26. Thank you
© Ipsos MORI This work will be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the international quality standard for market research, ISO 20252:2006 and with the Ipsos MORI Terms and Conditions which can be found here