More than half of voters expect to be personally worse off after Wednesday's Budget, according to a City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll carried out this month and published by Economic Affairs on 26 October.
The poll puts the figures as follows:
- 54% expect to be worse off after the Budget, and 6% expect to be better off.
- 55% prefer tax cuts even if that means less spending on public services. 33% prefer tax increases and more spending.
- 50% say raising taxes would reflect a failure to manage the public finances. 42% say it would be necessary to fix long-term problems, which the pollster reports as a 7-point rise in sympathy for tax rises since November 2025.
- 50% expect the economy to worsen over the next year, up 6 points.
- 65% are not confident in the government's growth plan.
The figures come from the published summary of the poll and have not been independently checked.
The Chancellor, John Healey, delivers the Budget to the Commons on Wednesday 28 October.