Most important issues facing Britain 2024

The economy was seen by 48 percent of people in the UK as one of the main issues facing the country in October 2024. The ongoing Cost of Living Crisis afflicting the UK, driven by high inflation, is still one of the main concerns of Britons. Health was the second most important issue in this month and throughout 2023, possibly due to NHS staffing problems, and increasing demand for health services, which have plunged the National Health Service into a deep crisis, possibly the worst since its creation in the 1940s. From late 2022 onwards, immigration emerged as the third main concern for British people, just ahead of the environment for much of 2023.

How has the government responded to these issues?

With a July election on the horizon, and the Labour Party consistently ahead in the polls, addressing voter concerns directly is one of the best chances the Conservatives have of staying in power. At the start of 2023, Rishi Sunak attempted to do this by setting out his five pledges for the new year; halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce national debt, cut NHS waiting times, and stop small boats. One year out, Sunak had at best only partial success in these aims. Although the inflation rate fell, economic growth has been weak and even declined in the last two quarters of 2023, although it did return to growth in early 2024. National debt is not set to fall until the mid to late 2020s, while the trend of increasing NHS waiting times has so far shown no signs of reversing. Small boat crossings are down from 2022, they are still higher than in 2021 or 2020.

Top issues between 2019 and 2022

At the height of concern over Brexit in September 2019, around 71 percent of British adults thought it was one of the main issues facing the country. While it remained an important issue, it is clear that following the UK's official exit from the European Union on January 31, 2020, that it receded to the background, especially after the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic that year. In April 2020, almost three quarters of people surveyed advised that health was one of the most important issues facing the country. It was during this month that the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was at its height, with almost 12,000 excess deaths a week occurring in two weeks in the middle of April. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2022, the third-biggest issue that March was that of defense, which surged from being one of the least important issues in February to being a main concern of a third of Britons.

Which of the following do you think are the most important issues facing the country at this time? (June 2019 to October 2024)

Characteristic	Economy	Brexit	Immigration	Health	Environment	Crime	Education	Housing	Defence
Oct 24	48%	12%	44%	45%	18%	19%	8%	23%	18%
Sep 24	47%	12%	47%	41%	17%	26%	10%	21%	14%
Aug 24	46%	12%	46%	39%	19%	28%	11%	21%	15%
Jul 24	51%	14%	41%	52%	20%	19%	13%	22%	13%
Jun 24	51%	12%	36%	49%	21%	21%	13%	24%	18%
May 24	49%	14%	38%	46%	21%	23%	12%	22%	17%
Apr 24	51%	12%	36%	45%	20%	20%	13%	24%	20%
Mar 24	55%	14%	37%	46%	21%	20%	11%	23%	18%
Feb 24	50%	15%	39%	44%	23%	21%	12%	22%	20%
Jan 24	53%	14%	38%	45%	22%	17%	11%	25%	9%
Dec 23	55%	14%	40%	44%	26%	17%	12%	23%	8%
Nov 23	55%	14%	37%	44%	25%	20%	12%	23%	13%
Oct 23	54%	16%	39%	44%	27%	22%	12%	20%	8%
Sep 23	61%	17%	39%	43%	27%	17%	12%	24%	10%
Aug 23	65%	17%	36%	40%	31%	16%	11%	22%	9%
Jul 23	63%	19%	37%	44%	23%	18%	10%	21%	9%
Jun 23	55%	19%	33%	42%	26%	16%	13%	18%	10%
May 23	60%	18%	33%	45%	23%	17%	12%	18%	11%
Apr 23	59%	18%	37%	42%	21%	18%	12%	19%	11%
Mar 23	59%	22%	30%	45%	23%	16%	13%	17%	13%
Feb 23	64%	20%	27%	49%	24%	15%	11%	15%	13%
Jan 23	62%	17%	32%	50%	23%	16%	11%	17%	9%
Dec 22	65%	20%	33%	44%	26%	15%	9%	16%	10%
Nov 22	68%	19%	37%	39%	26%	12%	8%	16%	10%
Oct 22	73%	16%	21%	38%	25%	11%	8%	18%	10%
Sep 22	71%	18%	24%	37%	29%	16%	9%	17%	9%
Aug 22	69%	17%	23%	38%	32%	11%	8%	16%	12%
Jul 22	69%	22%	22%	38%	23%	14%	10%	18%	15%
Jun 22	65%	18%	25%	36%	26%	13%	8%	18%	12%
May 22	61%	19%	25%	36%	26%	14%	9%	18%	15%
Apr 22	55%	16%	31%	39%	23%	12%	12%	17%	19%
Mar 22	50%	21%	27%	35%	27%	15%	11%	17%	33%
Feb 22	48%	23%	23%	47%	29%	18%	13%	18%	12%
Jan 22	46%	24%	27%	55%	27%	17%	14%	16%	7%
Dec 21	41%	24%	35%	53%	30%	18%	12%	16%	8%
Nov 21	43%	25%	27%	48%	40%	18%	11%	17%	6%
Oct 21	44%	26%	25%	47%	34%	21%	13%	16%	8%
Sep 21	37%	25%	32%	50%	34%	16%	14%	18%	11%
Aug 21	44%	23%	31%	50%	34%	20%	16%	18%	7%
Jul 21	46%	27%	27%	57%	30%	18%	18%	16%	7%
Jun 21	47%	22%	28%	50%	28%	22%	20%	17%	8%
May 21	48%	26%	26%	52%	31%	21%	17%	16%	6%
Apr 21	54%	29%	22%	52%	28%	22%	19%	15%	9%
Mar 21	60%	28%	19%	58%	28%	14%	20%	14%	6%
Feb 21	55%	30%	19%	61%	27%	12%	27%	11%	6%
Jan 21	52%	34%	18%	63%	23%	12%	22%	10%	5%
Dec 20	54%	53%	21%	55%	22%	12%	12%	12%	7%
Nov 20	55%	47%	22%	61%	21%	11%	12%	10%	8%
Oct 20	54%	50%	26%	58%	24%	14%	14%	10%	5%
Sep 20	55%	46%	30%	52%	21%	16%	16%	11%	5%
Aug 20	54%	43%	29%	52%	22%	14%	16%	10%	7%
Jul 20	57%	43%	19%	57%	24%	17%	18%	11%	6%
Jun 20	56%	45%	17%	62%	23%	14%	14%	8%	5%
May 20	57%	31%	16%	66%	23%	14%	14%	11%	6%
Apr 20	50%	27%	13%	74%	22%	13%	9%	11%	8%
Mar 20	26%	43%	23%	54%	33%	23%	11%	17%	11%
Feb 20	27%	46%	23%	41%	30%	28%	12%	16%	13%
Jan 20	26%	60%	21%	46%	31%	21%	12%	14%	15%
Dec 19	25%	62%	22%	53%	26%	25%	12%	13%	9%
Nov 19	27%	64%	23%	42%	28%	23%	12%	14%	8%
Oct 19	26%	69%	23%	35%	29%	24%	13%	16%	10%
Sep 19	25%	71%	24%	31%	29%	30%	13%	14%	9%
Aug 19	26%	69%	22%	32%	27%	30%	11%	14%	13%
Jul 19	24%	66%	26%	32%	27%	32%	15%	15%	8%
Jun 19	26%	67%	24%	34%	26%	28%	13%	16%	10%

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Release date

October 2024

More information

Region

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

Survey time period

June 2019 to October 2024

Number of respondents

1,611-3,326

Age group

18 years and older

Special properties

British adults

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

The following answers, with less than ten percent of respondents selecting them in the most recent survey have not been included.

Tax, Pensions, Family life & childcare, Transport, Welfare benefits, None of these, Don't know

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