Half of Britons say Budget leaves them worse off, YouGov finds

Britons view the 2025 Budget as unfair and unaffordable, with only a small minority believing the measures will leave the country or their own finances better off, according to new YouGov polling.

Half of those polled say the measures will leave the country worse off, with 50% saying the same of their own households. Only 9% believe the country will benefit, while 3% expect to see personal improvement. Around one third say the changes will make little difference.

The survey also shows that 48% of respondents judge the Budget as unfair, compared with 21% who say it is fair. Some 47% consider it unaffordable, against 22% who think it affordable. The figures mark a deterioration from last year’s Budget, when views were evenly split, and represent the second-worst fairness rating YouGov has recorded since 2010.

Rachel Reeves dropped plans for income tax increases ahead of the fiscal statement, opting instead for a series of smaller measures. The polling suggests the decision has not improved perceptions of her performance as chancellor. Some 59% say she is doing a bad job, up four points since March. Only 11% judge her performance positively. Among Labour voters at the 2024 election, 40% say she is doing a bad job, with 22% saying she is doing a good one.

Views of the wider economy are similarly downbeat. Just 3% of Britons say the economy is in a good state and only 15% think the government is managing it well. Most respondents (67%) expect conditions to worsen over the next year. Only 7% expect an improvement. Personal financial expectations follow the same pattern, with 56% anticipating their situation will deteriorate and 9% expecting it to improve.

Support varies sharply across individual Budget measures. Increasing taxes on gambling and freezing rail fares are the most popular policies, with 82% viewing each as the right thing to do. Reducing environmental levies on energy bills, which the government says will lower annual household costs by £150, attracts support from 75%. A rise in the minimum wage for over-21s is backed by 71%, while 67% support a “mansion tax” on properties worth £2m or more. Reducing business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure firms is supported by 64%.

The least popular measure is reducing the cash ISA limit for people under 65 to £12k, as only 16% see the change as the right approach.

Other policies receive mixed or negative responses. New pay-per-mile charges for electric vehicles divide opinion, with 38% in favour and 43% opposed. Most respondents – 56% – say it was wrong to scrap the two-child benefit cap, and the same proportion oppose the freeze on tax thresholds. Half disapprove of new limits on salary sacrifice schemes for pensions, compared with 21% who say the cap is right.

The findings underline the challenge facing the government as it seeks to convince voters of its economic judgement and the effectiveness of its fiscal strategy.