YouGov/Sunday Times on the riots
Full results for the Sunday Times/YouGov poll are now up here. As you'd might expect, given it's silly season and it's the only story in the news, the focus is again on the riots.
On the regular leadership trackers there is little change - David Cameron's job approval stands at minus 12 (from minus 14 last week, and typical of late), Ed Miliband's is minus 18 (from minus 22, still holding onto the increase he got from hackgate), Nick Clegg's is minus 42.
As in the Channel 4 poll yesterday the primary causes of the riots are seen as criminality, gang culture and bad parenting (all named by 61% of people when asked to pick the main causes, and the top three when asked to pick the ONE main cause). That is followed, a long way behind, by social deprivation (23%) and unemployment (18%). Very few people though that the government's cuts (10%) or poor policing (11%) were amongst the main causes.
45% think Cameron responded well to the riots (52% badly), 44% thought Boris responded well (45% badly). These are significantly up on similar questions YouGov asked for the Sun when the riots were still ongoing, which had 28% saying Cameron was doing well and only 24% for Boris - people are presumably viewing their reactions a lot more positively now things have quietened down. In contrast Theresa May is still seen as having reacted badly to the riots (31% well, 53% badly). For the opposition, 40% thought Miliband did well (40% badly) and Harriet Harman 26% well, 44% badly.
66% think the police responded well to the riots, with 31% saying badly - again this is significantly up on YouGov's poll for the Sun in the week when the number thinked they'd handled it well was 52%. Asked how much confidence they have in the police to protect people and property from rioters 53% of people have some or a lot of confidence, 37% do not have a lot of confidence, 9% have none at all.
On the police cuts 56% of people think they should be cancelled, even if this means bigger cuts elsewhere. 23% of people think they should go ahead. Amongst the COnservative party's own supporters 47% think the police cuts should be cancelled.
Finally there were some questions on Cameron's "broken society". YouGov re-asked a question from back in 2009 about whether people though Britain was a broken society, in regard of the area people themselves lived in, and in relation to the country as a whole. 37% think it is true in relation to the area they live (which is significantly down from 2009 when YouGov originally asked the question) with people most likely to agree in London. 74% think society is broken in Britain as a whole, virtually unchanged from 2009. Comparing ourselves to other European countries, 38% of people think British society is more broken than in other countries, 13% that British society is stronger and more stable and 39% that they are much the same.
There is very little confidence in the government's policies solving the problems of "broken Britain" - only 22% think the government's education policies will improve or mend society, 27% their welfare policies, 26% their law and order polices and 22% their economic policies. In every case a larger proportion of respondents think the government's policies will make the problems in British society worse.
