Respondents from seven countries felt “very negative about their governments?” approaching,? a YouGov poll was found
More than 60% of people in each of the seven Western European countries surveyed by YouGov say their government is doing poorly “in dealing with the cost of living.” Large majorities have been forced to cut back on household spending and expect the trend to continue.
Countries analyzed in the survey include the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Sweden and Denmark. The most widespread dissatisfaction was expressed by British and Italian respondents. Some 82% in the two countries rate their respective governments’ attempts at cost control negatively, with just 10% and 13% saying leaders did well.
However, taxpayers from Nordic countries showed a higher degree of satisfaction. While 65% and 62% in Sweden and Denmark respectively were dissatisfied, 27% in both countries said governments are “doing a good job” of managing the cost of living.
“No fewer than 80% of people in each country have either made cuts or think they will have to, rising as high as 93% in Italy,” YouGov said.
Some 41% of Italians also state that in “the last three months they have ‘always’ or ‘mostly’ struggled to afford their energy bills.” YouGov noted that Prime Minister-elect Giorgia Meloni must “act quickly” to resolve the issue.
Moving to the UK, YouGov’s September poll shows that the vast majority of Brits also disapprove of the government’s new economic plans. At the time, 72% of respondents believed that “abolishing the top tax rate was the wrong priority at the moment.”
Energy and living costs in Europe have risen dramatically amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin pointed out that EU authorities should not blame Russia for rising energy bills. “Ordinary Europeans are suffering. Their electricity and gas bills have more than tripled in a year. Just like in the Middle Ages, the population has started storing firewood for the winter,” he pointed out.
(RT.com)
Source: sn.dk