Voters do not trust Boris Johnson to take country out of lockdown safely, poll finds

Exclusive: Survey for The Independent finds Britons cautious about return to normal life

Boris Johnson has failed to win voters’ trust that he can take England safely out of the coronavirus lockdown, according to a new poll.

The Savanta ComRes survey for The Independent found that fewer than a quarter (24 per cent) of people in England trust the prime minister “completely” or “a lot” to lift restrictions in a safe way, against 31 per cent who said they do not trust him to do so.

And the poll showed voters across the UK want Mr Johnson to act cautiously in his roadmap for the return to normality, due to be set out on Monday.

The PM is expected to confirm that he wants schools to reopen to more children on 8 March, with later relaxations of restrictions following in line with progress on Covid-19 infections, hospitalisations and vaccinations.

But just 26 per cent of those questioned agreed that children should go back to school in early March, as the PM has suggested. A further 26 per cent said he should wait until after the Easter holidays and 38 per cent later.

Appetite for a swift return to schools was far lower in the 18 to 44 age groups which include most parents – among whom around 40 per cent want children in classrooms by Easter – than in older age groups (61 per cent).

And there was little appetite for any other relaxations of restrictions in the coming weeks, with just 15 per cent saying that the “rule of six” should be restored in March, to allow social gatherings of up to six people outdoors.

Only 17 per cent backed the return of hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons, 16 per cent non-essential shops and 12 per cent pubs, cafes and restaurants next month.

Overall, just 8 per cent of English voters said they trust Mr Johnson “completely” to take the country out of lockdown in a safe way, compared to 16 per cent who trust him “a lot”. Some 17 per cent said they did not trust him much and 14 per cent said they did not trust him at all, with 37 per cent said they were “somewhere in the middle” and 8 per cent did not know.

The findings may reflect voters’ experience of hearing Mr Johnson say last year that he could “turn the tide” on Covid-19 in 12 weeks, encourage people to Eat Out to Help Out in the summer and then promise family reunions at Christmas, only for harsher restrictions to be imposed in three separate lockdowns.

Trust was strongest among Conservative voters (38 per cent do trust and 16 per cent do not) and residents of Yorkshire and the Humber (34 to 24) and lowest among Labour voters (16 to 48) and Liberal Democrats (10 to 53) and in the northeast (16 to 40) and northwest (18 to 38).

In a sign of how social distancing practices and mask-wearing have become deeply embedded in British social life, the poll indicated that many people are willing to stick with them long after the July target by which all adults are due to have been vaccinated. 

Just 7 per cent across the UK said they wanted to get rid of social distancing rules and masks in indoor public spaces in March, 7 per cent in April and 16 per cent by the summer.

By contrast, 25 per cent said they were willing for social distancing and 24 per cent mask-wearing to remain in place until the end of 2021. Some 26 per cent said both practices should continue into 2022.

And 9 per cent said that the practice of wearing face-coverings should stay forever, as is the case in some east Asian countries, while 7 per cent said we should keep to two-metre distancing rules indefinitely.

Savanta ComRes associate director Chris Hopkins said: “The data shows a fairly cautious outlook from the public, perhaps mirroring the government’s own recent approach, regarding when various restrictions are likely to be lifted. Only half say that the government should allow children to return to school by Easter, arguably the one restriction the government have been most bullish on lifting sooner.

“However, considering the public are more likely not to trust the prime minister to lift restrictions safely than they are to trust him, it’s perhaps not a surprise that the public would prefer a more cautious approach that doesn’t involve having to lockdown again, and therefore it’s understandable that some of the more common measures, such as mask-wearing and social-distancing, are not seen by the public as needing to be lifted before 2021 is out.”

Overall, the poll indicated that many Britons are willing to stick with restrictions to Easter and beyond, but a clear majority want the life to be closer to normality by the summer.

By Easter – which this year falls in early April – 45 per cent want hairdressers and beauty salons open, 43 per cent nonessential shops, 34 per cent pubs and restaurants and 29 per cent gyms and swimming pools. Some 40 per cent want the rule of six in outdoor spaces and 32 per cent in homes by Easter.

But by the start of the summer, demand for relaxation increases dramatically, with 72 per cent wanting hairdressers and beauty salons open, 70 per cent nonessential shops, 68 per cent pubs and restaurants and 61 per cent gyms and swimming pools. By the summer, 67 per cent want to be able to gather in groups of up to six outside and 60 per cent in people’s homes.

The poll indicated that Britain’s office workers are happy to carry on working from home for some time. Just 11 per cent of those questioned thought the return to the office should come in March, 19 per cent in April and 26 per cent by the summer. Some 19 per cent were willing to wait until the end of 2021 and 8 per cent until next year, while 4 per cent said office workers should never go back to the old pattern of travelling to their workplace.

Perhaps surprisingly, younger age-groups were less impatient for the return of pubs, cafes and restaurants, with 32 per cent of 18-24 year-olds wanting them open by Easter, compared to 42 per cent of over-65s.

The 25 to 34 year-old age group and Londoners were keenest to get back to the office, and over-55s were the group most likely to want shops open.

Londoners were the most eager to meet up with friends and family, with 44 per cent saying the rule of six should be back outdoors and 35 per cent indoors by Easter, compared to 26 per cent outdoors and 25 per cent indoors in Northern Ireland.

Savanta ComRes interviewed 2,170 adults across the UK, including 1,817 in England, between 12 and 14 February.