Survation pension reform 2011 survey for Unite

21 November 2011

Unite general secretary, Len McCluskey said: "This survey cuts through the spin and explodes the myths being peddled by the coalition government about public sector pensions. Virtually nobody thinks public sector pensions are 'gold-plated' and the government are thoroughly distrusted on this issue. When the British people get the facts, rather than misinformation and propaganda, they are on the side of public sector workers. We are winning the argument by telling the truth while the government tries to pull the wool over the public's eyes. The government's plans to slash public sector pensions are not what the people of this country want for the women and men who care for our sick, teach our children and keep our streets safe. "It is time for Francis Maude and Danny Alexander to negotiate a just and fair settlement with the unions on pensions."

Damian Lyons Lowe, Chief Executive of Survation said; “The slogan “We Are The 99%” has become a rallying cry for many disparate groups angry at Governments across the world. In this survey, an incredible 99% of the 1058 voters we questioned do not fully trust the Government when it comes to the issue of pension affordability. This survey has uncovered a highly sceptical UK workforce feeling either worried, angry or helpless about potential negative pension changes and feel that perceived well off citizens are not pulling their weight in these difficult economic times”

Key Points

1) 66% of people that expressed a view considered a Pension to be the most important benefit an employer can offer (excluding “don't knows”).

2) 34% of the workforce is not currently saving for their retirement. 56% of those who are not saving said they are not currently doing so because they “cannot afford to save for my pension at the moment”.

3) Trade Unions are the most trusted body when it comes to providing accurate information on the affordability of public sector pensions* 33% of the public trust them with a positive score (4 or 5) when asked how much they trusted various bodies on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being a lot and 1 not at all.
The positive scores (4 or 5) for the other bodies tested were:
Think Tanks: 19% / Newspapers / TV: 13% / Business Leaders: 13% / The Government: 9% Politicians: 5% *Excluding don't knows

4) On this measure Trade unions are 7 times more trusted than politicians when it comes to providing accurate information on the affordability of public sector pensions, and 3.5x more than the Government in general.

5) 99% of respondents do not fully trust the Government (rate them a 5 out of 5 on trust) when it comes to “providing accurate information on the affordability of public sector pensions”. In addition, 99% of those who voted Conservative also do not fully trust the Government (rate them a 5 out of 5 on trust) when it comes to providing accurate information on the affordability of public sector pensions – public views on pensions are less of a party political issue than one might think.

6) The public believe that Politicians and CEOs are not pulling their weight when it comes to making sacrifices in these difficult economic times. 85% believe MPs are not doing enough; 86% Cabinet Ministers and 86% Chief Executives.

7) In contrast, the public believe Nurses, Teachers and Refuse Collectors are already doing enough. Only 9% think Nurses are not doing enough; Teachers 17%, Refuse Collectors 17%.

8) When asked “If those in charge of your pension scheme moved to increase the contributions you made to your pension scheme whilst also lowering the amount you would be paid on retirement would you..”. Of those that expressed a view (excluding “don't knows”), 71% of those polled would take some sort of action in response to the above question. 40% of those that would take some sort of action would opt for lawful industrial action. 5% of people believe legal action is the right response to those in charge of a pension scheme changing the terms of the agreement and 46% would want to leave the scheme altogether.

9) When asked what they felt a reasonable pension income for an employee who had worked for 25 years with a final salary of £25,000, 71% of people thought the figure should be between £10k and 20k a year. Under the current public sector schemes such a person would receive a pension of approximately £10,000 a year.

10) Some in the media warn that “Taxpayers cannot afford to fund the latest gold-plated pension deal for public sector workers” however, only 8% of those questioned would describe a £6,000 a year pension as 'gold-plated'- which is the average public sector pension.

11) 74% of people felt that the proposed changes to public sector pensions will make the current issue of pensioner poverty worse than it currently is. Only 5% thought it would improve matters.

Survation interviewed 1058 voters via telephone over the age of 18 between the 2nd and 9th of November on the topic of pensions, pension affordability and trust. Interviewees were selected at random drawing from the entire BT database of domestic phone numbers. Data were weighted by gender, age, socio-economic group, region, and for voting intention past voting behaviour and likelihood to vote. Data were analysed and weighted by Mark Lovelace and presented by Tom Harris of Survation. Full data tables will be available at http://www.survation.com/

Survation are a member of The British Polling Council and abide by its rules: http://www.britishpollingcouncil.org/Survation Ltd Registered in England & Wales Number 07143509

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