More from Sunday's YouGov poll
The full tables for the Sunday Times YouGov poll are available here and, as usual, there are questions on a wide and wonderful variety of things.
Firstly on bank bailouts and bonuses, 62% of respondents thought that rescuing the banks will cost taxpayers in the long run, while 25% thought that eventually the taxpayer would end up better off when the government sells the banks back into the private sector. Asking about salaries and bonuses in general, rather than just about bankers, 55% of people did not think there should be any limit on earnings, as long as they were linked to performance. 13% thought no one in Britain should earn more than £150k, 15% backed a limit of £500k, 7% a limit of a million.
Moving on, YouGov asked about attitudes to Afghanistan. 78% of people thought that the stablisation of Afghanistan was a worthwhile objective... but the majority of these thought it was not worth risking the lives of British soldiers. The majority (64%) also thought that the war there could never be won. Neither did many people feel that the presence of troops in Afghanistan was containing the problem and stopping to spreading to Pakistan: only 21% thought it would help, 31% thought it made no difference and 26% thought it was making things worse.
Despite all this, only 17% thought all western troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan. A further 26% wanted Britain to withdraw, but didn't much care what other countries did. 7% wanted the status quo maintained and 38% wanted the West to send more troops, though the overwhelming majority didn't want these to be British. More popular seemed to be a diplomatic solution - 64% said Britain and America should be willing to talk to the Taliban.
Closer to home YouGov asked about the protests by Islamist groups against British soldiers returning from Iraq. 53% of respondents said protesters such as those who called troops "butchers" and "baby killers" should be prosecuted for public order offences; 35% said that however offensive these were, it was their right to protest in a free socirty.
Despite the recent murders in Northern Ireland, the public remain broadly optimistic about the prospects for peace. Only 23% thought a return to the levels of violence in the 70s and 80s was likely (and hardly any thought it was very likely). 68% thought it was unlikely there would be a return to those levels of violence.
Finally YouGov asked about the media coverage of Jade Goody's terminal illness. Respondents were evenly split on their reaction - 43% said it was macabre and of no interest, 44% said it was right that she was breaking the taboo and trying to earn money to keep her children after her death. There was, not particularly surprising given the audience of celebrity magazines, a sharp gender difference. Men thought it was macabre by 57% to 31%. Women though it was right by 57% to 31%.
