INTRODUCTION
Putting the 'Place' into Public Services
Public services and places across the UK face different challenges, but we also identify commonalities. The government must get delivery right and show tangible improvements.
Perception of public services
75%
of the public felt public services had gotten worse over the past five years
Just nine months ago, Labour won a landslide victory on a promise to fix public services, which were facing record low satisfaction levels. The public believed Labour was the best party to bring about necessary improvements. However, the challenge was huge: 75% of the public felt public services had gotten worse over the past five years, with 64% saying the same about their local areas.
The government now faces a rapidly changing situation. Shrinking budgets, due to the UK's anaemic economic growth and pressures for more defence spending, mean there's less money available to deliver on public service improvements. While public attention is swiftly turning to defence as a critical area of concern, the government cannot afford to take its eyes off public services, which remain a significant issue for voters. At the same time, public patience is beginning to wane – our data shows people are starting to shift blame for certain issues from the last Conservative government to Labour.
In this challenging context, our latest edition of 'Understanding Society' aims to shed light on how the government can best channel its efforts to deliver meaningful improvements and keep the public's trust.
Public patience is beginning to wane – our data shows people are starting to shift blame for certain issues from the last Conservative government to Labour
Drawing on MRP (Multilevel Regression and Poststratification) models across key public services, including overall quality of life, our analysis reveals that while all public services face their own unique challenges, some common themes emerge across the board that offer clear ideas for the government’s strategic focus.
- Stark geographical inequality: Our data reveals a stark picture of geographical inequality. From education and well paying jobs to quality of life and local amenities, our analysis shows significant variations in perceptions across the country. This risks further exacerbating feelings of unfairness and inequality: over 43% of the population believe the government spends less on their areas than others, especially in Northern Ireland, Wales, and the North of England. This highlights the importance of delivering tangible improvements for the public, especially on entrenched issues like regional inequalities – something the Conservatives' Levelling-up programme failed to achieve.
- Deprivation and personal characteristics: Deprivation plays a significant role in satisfaction with public services. The most deprived neighbourhoods tend to report the lowest levels of satisfaction across many services. Furthermore, personal characteristics such as age, ethnicity, education and health conditions often worsen these inequalities. For example, satisfaction with health services is notably lower among people of working age and people with long-term health conditions. This presents a significant challenge. To deliver on the promise of improving public services, the government must address the specific needs of deprived communities and ensure that everyone has access to the same opportunities, regardless of their background.
- Perceptions vs. reality: Public satisfaction with services often reflects the actual performance of those services. For example, satisfaction with housing is linked to affordability, satisfaction with policing is linked to crime rates, and satisfaction with the local job market is linked to the availability of degree-level jobs. However, media coverage and personal experiences also shape perceptions. Despite being an important public priority, the NHS has low satisfaction nationwide. Therefore, the government must address the root causes of underperformance while understanding public wants and how they judge performance.
- Place-based solutions and national priorities: Place-based solutions, which are tailored to specific local challenges, need to be backed by clear national priorities. The government’s ambition to take a mission-based approach to governing is commendable. However, our analysis reveals that this approach is necessary not only at the centre of government, but also at the regional and local levels. Each area we examined faces intricate challenges that demand a deep understanding of the local context to unravel. For instance, we observed some of the lowest levels of satisfaction with public transport in areas with strong policing and community cohesion. Conversely, satisfaction with health services was high in some areas where education was perceived as underperforming, and job satisfaction was low in some areas with high overall quality of life. These findings underscore the crucial need for the central government to work with local partners. This collaboration is essential to understand local circumstances, address apparent contradictions, and effectively deliver services.
This means the government needs to get delivery right. While hopes for immediate improvements are not high – with just over a quarter (28%) believing they will see improvements to public services within the next 2-3 years - there is slightly more optimism (albeit at 45% still not overwhelming) that things will be better in the next 10 years.
This longer-term optimism, while echoing Keir Starmer's vision of a "decade of national renewal," doesn’t make less urgent the need for tangible progress within this electoral cycle. The government’s success hinges on its ability to combine an understanding of public services, people, and place to deliver the improvements that Britons want, and to demonstrate tangible results well before the next general election.
Trinh Tu Head of Public Affairs UK, Ipsos
Keir Starmer – Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
