27.03.2017

New GfK political poll shows Jeremy Corbyn as unpopular as President Trump among GB adults

  • 17% of British adults approve of the job Jeremy Corbyn is doing as Leader of the Opposition. 58% disapprove.
  • 18% approve of the job Donald Trump is doing as US President. 60% disapprove.
  • Meanwhile, 46% of British adults still think Brexit was the “right decision”. However, 41% think it was the “wrong decision” and 13% say they don’t know.

A new poll conducted by GfK shows Jeremy Corbyn is as unpopular among British adults as US President Donald Trump.

GfK surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,938 GB adults between March 1st and March 15th, 2017 and found:

  • Prime Minister Theresa May is more popular than the Government overall. 46% of GB adults approve of the job she is doing as Prime Minister (just 33% disapprove) while 40% approve of the way the government is running the country with the same number disapproving (40%).
  • Meanwhile, just 17% of GB adults approve of the job Jeremy Corbyn is doing as Leader of the Opposition. 58% disapprove. 26% don’t know. These numbers are virtually identical to Donald Trump’s approval figures among British adults. 18% of Brits approve of the job Donald Trump is doing as US President with 60% disapproving and 22% saying that they don’t know.

Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the way…


The Government is running the country?

Theresa May is handling her job as Prime Minister?

Jeremy Corbyn in handling his job as Leader of the Opposition?

Donald Trump is handling his job as President of the United States?

Sample size

          1938

         1938

             1938

            1938

Approve

           40%

          46%

              17%

             18%

Disapprove

           40%

          33%

              58%

             60%

No opinion

           21%

           21%

              26%

              22%

Note: Figures may sum to more than 100% due to rounding.

Commenting on these findings, GfK Research Director Keiran Pedley said:

“Whilst Donald Trump’s approval rating among British adults will be the least of the President’s worries following his healthcare struggles last week, it will be of great concern to Labour supporters that Jeremy Corbyn’s approval rating among Brits is no better. With Theresa May clearly more popular than the Government as a whole and the Conservatives significantly ahead in the polls, it looks like Labour is a long way from power”.

Other findings in the poll included:

Brexit – right decision / wrong decision
Q. Do you think Britain made the right decision or the wrong decision when voting to leave the European Union?

Right decision 46%
Wrong decision 41%
Don’t know 13%

  • 46% of Brits think Brexit was the “right decision” and 41% think it was the “wrong decision”. 13% don’t know. 
  • Among “likely voters” in a future General Election the gap is wider. 50% say “right decision”, 42% say “wrong decision” and 8% don’t know.
  • Most voters seem committed to their referendum vote of last year.
    - Among Leave voters, 88% say Brexit was the “right decision” and 6% say it was the “wrong decision”. 7% said they don’t know.
    - Among Remain voters, 9% say Brexit was the “right decision” and 82% say it was the “wrong decision”. 9% said they don’t know.
  • A notable generational gap remains.
    - Among those aged 18-24, 32% think Brexit was the “right decision”. 55% said it was the “wrong decision” and 13% said don’t know.
    - Among those aged 65 and over, 59% think Brexit was the “right decision”. 29% said “wrong decision” and 11% don’t know.

Commenting on these findings, GfK Research Director Keiran Pedley said:

“As the Prime Minister prepares to invoke Article 50 this week there is little sign of mass Brexit regret among British voters. However, given that 13% are undecided and expectations for Brexit are very high among Leave voters, the Prime Minister is under a lot of pressure to deliver the right deal. It will also be interesting to see whether pro-European sentiment among younger voters is lasting or merely a sign of youth that will change over time”.

Voting intention (among likely voters)
Q. If there was a general election tomorrow, which party would you vote for?

Conservative 41%
Labour 28%
UKIP 12%
Lib Dem 7%
Green 6%
SNP 5%
Other 1%

  • The poll also asked ‘likely voters’ how they would vote if there was a General Election tomorrow. The Conservatives lead Labour by 13 points which would give them a majority of approximately 92 seats under proposed new boundaries according to Martin Baxter at Electoral Calculus.

Download the full questionnaire here
For more on the survey methodology and weighting
Download the data tables here

For more information contact Keiran.pedley(at)gfk.com 

Notes to editors

  • Must cite GfK as the pollster conducting the research.
  • GfK surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,938 GB adults aged 18+ online between March 1st and March 15th, 2017
  • Data were weighted to be representative of GB adults by age, gender, region and social grade. Data were also weighted by political interest, 2015 General Election vote and 2016 EU referendum vote in order to ensure a politically representative sample.
  • For the purposes of this poll ‘likely voters’ are defined as those 8 out of 10 or above likely to vote in a future General Election that also voted in the 2015 General Election. However, those aged under 21 did not have to vote in 2015 to qualify as a likely voter given they were not eligible to do so.
  • Figures may occasionally sum to 99% or 101% due to rounding.
  • GfK is a full member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full data tables will appear on GfK’s website within 48 hours of this release

About GfK
GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. More than 13,000 market research experts combine their passion with GfK’s long-standing data science experience. This allows GfK to deliver vital global insights matched with local market intelligence from more than 100 countries. By using innovative technologies and data sciences, GfK turns big data into smart data, enabling its clients to improve their competitive edge and enrich consumers’ experiences and choices.
Responsible under press legislation: Marketing, GfK, Hannah Dymond, 25 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5LQ Hannah.dymond(at)gfk.com  



Latest Press Releases

View all Press