Committee on Standards in Public Life
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Third National Survey of Public Attitudes on Standards of Conduct in Public Life published
The Committee on Standards in Public Life today published the results from their third biennial national survey of public attitudes on standards of conduct in public life.
The research, conducted by BRMB Social Research for the Committee, uses information gathered from face-to-face interviews with a random sample of over 2000 people across the UK. It offers an opportunity to assess public attitudes, expectations and perceptions about the behaviour of those in public life against the previous surveys conducted in 2004 and 2006.
For example, the 2008 survey shows that:
* Most people think that standards of conduct of office holders in the UK overall are 'fairly high' (38%) or neither high nor low (38%) but 20 per cent in 2008 rate standards as 'low', compared with 12 per cent in both 2004 and 2006. 41% believe that standards have fallen, as against 30% in earlier surveys. And public confidence that the authorities are committed to upholding standards and that people will be punished for wrong doing has also declined (from 59% to 52% for confidence, and from 44 to 33% for punishment)
* People continue to show very high levels of confidence in the honesty of front line professionals but lower levels of trust in national politicians. However, a new survey measure suggests that confidence may have been underestimated in the past. On the new measure, 44% say they would trust government ministers 'a lot' or 'a fair amount' to tell the truth, compared to 94% for family doctors, 83% for head teachers, 42% for estate agents and 33% for tabloid journalists.
* People's beliefs in what values should underlie public office have remained broadly similar over the three surveys. While 'telling the truth' remains the behaviour that most people value, fewer people in 2008 (47%) rank it among the three most important values than in previous years (53%) and almost as many people in 2008 choose financial prudence (44%).
* People are less satisfied with the way in which government ministers perform their jobs in 2008 than in previous years. For example, 22 per cent of people think that all or most government ministers tell the truth, compared with 27% in 2006. In contrast, people's confidence that MPs decision making in the House of Commons will be guided by factors that the public believes to be acceptable has risen, with 63% expressing confidence in comparison to 52% in 2004.
* Levels of confidence in the electoral system are reasonably high, but people are attracted to the greater security and accuracy of individual voter registration.
* People living in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are consistently more positive about standards of conduct in their own country than about standards in the UK as a whole. For example, 47 per cent of respondents rated standards of conduct in Wales as high compared with 39 per cent rating standards in the UK as a whole as high. In Scotland, 47 per cent rated standards of conduct in Scotland as high, compared with 42 per cent for the UK. In Northern Ireland, 49 per cent of respondents rated standards overall in Northern Ireland as high, compared with 41 per cent for the UK.
Commenting on the new research, Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Sir Christopher Kelly said:
"The research shows that people's perceptions of standards in public life have been fairly stable over the three surveys, but there are some worrying trends. For example 41% of respondents thought that standards had deteriorated over the past few years compared with only 30% in both 2004 and 2006. People are also less satisfied with the way in which government ministers perform their jobs, with only 38% thinking that all or most government ministers do not use their power for their own gain compared to 49% in 2006.
"As in previous years, the public continue to show high levels of confidence in front line professionals such as doctors and teachers. National politicians whether MPs or Ministers continue to languish near the bottom of the league tables, ranked alongside estate agents and tabloid journalists.
"It is interesting to note that, across the board, people in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland perceive standards within their own jurisdiction as higher than those in the UK as a whole. This backs up a major trend in the research which illustrates the fact that people feel more comfortable with 'local' elected representatives as opposed to generic national representatives as a whole.
"The changes to the ethical culture over the last 14 years have, I believe, put in place greater transparency and accountability. Ultimately, however, it is the duty of all public servants to ensure that their behaviour is of the highest standard and that they consider how their own and their organisation's behaviour matches up to the expectations placed up on them by the public.
"What is clear from this survey is that the public have clear and strong views about the standards that those in positions of public trust should be meeting and that it matters greatly that those standards are met."
Notes to Editors
2. Full copes of the BRMB research "Survey of public attitudes towards conduct in public life 2008" please go to http://www.public-standards.org.uk or telephone 020 7276 2589, or e-mail to standard.evidence@gtnet.gov.uk or collect a copy from the Committee at 35 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BQ.
3. The Committee's standing terms of reference are: "To examine current concerns about standards of conduct of all holders of public office, including arrangements relating to financial and commercial activities, and make recommendations as to any changes in present arrangements which might be required to ensure the highest standards of propriety in public life."
4. On 12 November 1997 additional terms of reference for the study on the funding of political parties were announced by the then Prime Minister as: "To review issues in relation to the funding of political parties, and to make recommendations as to arrangements." The Committee's terms of reference specifically preclude it from investigating individual cases or specific allegations of misconduct. Nor has the Committee any powers to require others to do so. But the Committee may take account of information on material cases in formulating its recommendations.
5. The full current membership of the Committee is: Sir Christopher Kelly KCB (Chair), Lloyd Clarke QPM, Oliver Heald MP, Sir Derek Morris MA Dphil, Baroness Maddock, The Rt Hon Alun Michael JP MP, Dr Elizabeth Vallance JP and Dr Brian Woods-Scawen DL CBE.
6. BMRB Social Research contact Bruce Hayward Tel: 0208 433 4072
Issued by:
The Committee on Standards in Public Life
35 Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BQ
Internet site:
http://www.public-standards.org.uk
Committee on Standards in Public Life
35 Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BQ
