Boris Johnson more distrusted than social media as source of Covid advice, poll finds

Exclusive: Almost three in 10 say reports of Downing Street parties make them less likely to follow advice

Boris Johnson is distrusted as a source of guidance on Covid by almost six out of 10 Britons (59 per cent) – more than distrust information from social media – according to a new poll.

Almost three in 10 (28 per cent) also said that they are less likely to follow Covid rules as a result of reports of Christmas parties at No 10 – including 37 per cent of the younger 18-34 age groups who are most likely to cram into pubs and clubs in the next few crucial weeks.

The Savanta survey for The Independent was published as the nation was told Mr Johnson would not be putting fresh curbs in place over the festive period

It found that many Britons are acting before being told to by the government.

One in 10 said they have already cancelled their plans for Christmas Day and a further quarter said they have scaled them back because of concerns about Omicron.

It also showed significant levels of appetite for far tougher restrictions than the government has so far imposed.

Some 50 per cent of the 2,096 people questioned said they would back a two-week “circuit-breaker” lockdown of the type backed by prominent scientists, against just 26 per cent opposed. Opinion on a total stay-at-home lockdown of indefinite duration was split 38-38 per cent for and against.

And 65 per cent said they would support vaccine passports – with no option to show evidence of a recent negative test – for entry to crowded venues. Some 70 per cent favour compulsory face-coverings in all indoor public spaces and 55 per cent mandatory working from home except for key workers.

Some 55 per cent said they would back a ban on indoor gatherings of people from different households, with just 27 per cent opposed. But opinion was more evenly divided on schools, with 37 per supporting closure and 35 per cent saying they should stay open.

The scale of damage done to the prime minister’s credibility on Covid by a series of revelations about lockdown-breaching parties and after-work drinks at Downing Street was laid brutally bare by the survey.

In a week when darts and football fans were filmed singing scornful chants about the PM, some 40 per cent of those questioned by Savanta said they distrust Mr Johnson “a lot” as a source for guidance on how to respond to the Omicron variant, and 20 per cent distrust him “somewhat”.

Just 9 per cent said they trusted the PM “a lot” and 21 per cent trusted him “somewhat”.

Mr Johnson’s credibility score was worse than that for “people on your social media feed”, who were distrusted “a lot” by 21 per cent and “somewhat” by 24 per cent, but trusted “somewhat” by 23 per cent and “a lot” by 7 per cent.

By comparison, 56 per cent said they trust chief medical officer Chris Whitty, against 25 per cent who distrust him. The figures for scientists generally were 71 per cent trust and 19 per cent distrust and for politicians generally 24 per cent trust and 64 per cent distrust.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was trusted by 42 per cent and distrusted by 40 per cent – of whom 19 per cent distrusted him “a lot”.

Most trusted for advice on Covid were friends and family (77 per cent trust and 12 per cent distrust).

There were indications that a substantial proportion of Britons are uncertain what they should do.

Despite 18 months of advice from scientists, medics and politicians, almost one in five (19 per cent) said they were less confident than in previous waves that they knew how best to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Hospitality industry fears about the financial catastrophe facing pubs, restaurants and nightclubs, even without new restrictions, were borne out by the survey.

Just 43 per cent of those questioned expect to go ahead with festive plans for New Year’s Eve, with 19 per cent scaling them back and 18 per cent dropping celebrations altogether.

And one-third (33 per cent) said they had dialled down festivities and 14 per cent written them off altogether in the run-up to Christmas Day, a financially crucial period for venues hosting office parties and friends’ nights out, as well as theatres and shows. Just 42 per cent said they were partying as planned pre-Christmas.

Chillingly, there was little sign that Britons see much light on the horizon, despite the successful rollout of three waves of vaccinations and boosters.

Some 23 per cent said they expected disruption to their lives from Covid to be worse in 2022 than 2021 – 8 per cent significantly worse and 15 per cent slightly – and a further 46 per cent said they believed next year would be about the same as this year.

Only 21 per cent were expecting a lower level of disruption in 2022, including just 5 per cent who think next year’s Covid situation will be significantly better than it has been this year.

Savanta questioned 2,096 adults in Britain from 17-19 December