Public confidence in the direction of the United Kingdom continues to plummet, with new polling showing an overwhelming majority of Britons think the country is in poor condition compared to other Western nations.
According to YouGov, just 1% of respondents described the UK as being in a “very good state.” By contrast, 82% said the country is in a “bad state,” with more than a third (36%) judging it to be in a “very bad state.”
The pessimism has worsened slightly since the spring, when 80% said the country was in bad shape. But the bigger shift is in expectations for the future: six-in-ten Britons now believe things will get worse over the next year, up sharply from just four-in-ten in 2024. Fewer than 1% said they think the UK’s situation will improve significantly over the next 12 months.
When asked to compare the UK to other Western nations, nearly half of respondents (48%) said Britain is in a “worse state than most Western countries.” About 31% believe the country is doing “about average,” while only a small minority thought it was performing better than its peers.
The numbers highlight a deepening sense of disillusionment across the electorate — one that has intensified since the last general election and shows little sign of reversing in the near future.
