Policy Hub
On 10 November 2008, the Committee on Standards in Public Life published the results from its third biennial national survey of public attitudes on standards of conduct in public life.
The research uses information gathered from face-to-face interviews with a random sample of more than 2,000 people across the UK. It offers an opportunity to assess public attitudes, expectations and perceptions about the behaviour of those in public life against previous surveys conducted in 2004 and 2006.
The 2008 survey shows that most people think that UK office holders’ standards of conduct are 'fairly high' (38%) overall or neither high nor low (38%). However, 20% in 2008 rate standards as 'low', compared with 12% in both 2004 and 2006.
People continue to show very high levels of confidence in the honesty of front line professionals but lower levels of trust in national politicians. More specifically, people’s beliefs as to what values should underlie public office have remained broadly similar over the three surveys. While 'telling the truth' remains the behaviour that most people value, fewer people in 2008 (47%) rank it among the three most important values than in previous years (53%) and almost as many people in 2008 choose financial prudence (44%).
The research also reveals that people living in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are consistently more positive about standards of conduct in their own country than about standards in the UK as a whole.
Survey of public attitudes towards conduct in public life 2008 (PDF)