Keir Starmer’s approval rating has not seen any improvement with Parliament in recess, Opinium’s latest poll finds. The Prime Minister remains on a low rating of -41% (down 5 points since a fortnight).
Starmer’s net score has fallen on all tested leadership attributes, with scores weakest on “represents what most people think” (net -47%, -6), “has similar views to my own” (net -45%, -4) and being a strong leader (net -40%, -9).
The other leaders’ ratings have remained fairly consistent, with Kemi Badenoch on -19% (+3), Ed Davey on -1% (+1) and Nigel Farage on -9% (-2). Focussing on Badenoch, her relative strengths continue to be “sticks to her principles rather than just saying what people want to hear” (net -2%, +4), but she is weakest on “looks like a prime minister” (net -29%, +3) and “in touch with ordinary people” (net -27%, -1).
Latest views on Palestine and war in Gaza
Turning to the Israel/Palestine conflict, two in five (42%) now see Israel as a threat to the UK, while only 18% still see it as an ally. This is slightly more than view Palestine as a threat (36%).
Public disapproval of Starmer’s handling of the conflict has increased by 14 points since October 2024, with 45% disapproving (+12 points on October 2024), compared to 17% who approve (-2 on October 2024). While 33% think he has provided sufficient support to Israel and Israeli citizens, two in five (40%) think he has not provided sufficient support for citizens in Gaza and could show more.
Meanwhile 44% think the UK should recognise Palestine as an independent state – almost double the amount who think it should not (23%).
Social media and AI in schools
With the last few weeks of the school summer holidays remaining, Opinium’s poll looks at views on social media and AI in schools. Overall, a large majority (83%) think social media should be banned for children under 13, with three in five (58%) thinking it should be banned for under 16s.
Seven in ten (70%) think mobile phone use should be banned during the school day for under-16s, with a further 36% thinking it should be banned for all pupils in school or college, even if they’re up to 18 years old.
Two thirds (66%) think schools should teach pupils how to use emerging technologies such as AI, whereas 20% do not. Additionally, while half (50%) think pupils should be allowed to use AI to do research, most people (73%) think schoolchildren should not be allowed to use it to write their homework or essays.
When it comes to teachers’ use of AI, opinion is more divided:
- 41% think teachers should be encouraged to use AI for lesson planning, 42% think they should not
- 38% think teachers should be encouraged to use AI for paperwork/admin, 43% think they should not
- 25% think teachers should be encouraged to use AI for marking essays or homework, 58% think they should not
Online Safety Act
With the latest measures from the Online Safety Act implemented in the last couple of weeks, Opinium’s poll finds that more than half (54%) support its overall aims, with far few people (17%) opposing it.
James Crouch, head of policy and public affairs at Opinium, said, “There is growing disapproval of Israel, with more than twice as many Britons viewing it as a threat to the UK than as an ally.
“Public dissatisfaction is mounting over Keir Starmer’s handling of the Israel–Gaza conflict, particularly regarding the support offered to Gazan citizens.
“With state recognition on the agenda, the British public believes Palestine has as much right to exist as Israel.
“As Israel’s actions drift further from British public opinion, its latest plan to move Gaza City’s population south presents Starmer with a difficult challenge: navigating the conflict in a way that shows meaningful support without alienating his own voters.”
