Meanwhile, only 37% of people who voted for Labour at the 2024 General Election currently back them as the best party for reducing poverty.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “Action matters and our efforts to turn the tide on poverty after years of rising hardship are making a real difference – household incomes have risen 5% in real terms, around 100,000 fewer children are in deep material poverty and food bank usage has fallen.
“Our landmark child poverty strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty in the final year of this parliament, and we will hold ourselves to account on our progress through robust monitoring and annual poverty statistics, ensuring that the progress we make is transparent for all.”
The YouGov polling also underlined predictions that Welsh Labour faces a fight in the Senedd elections. Just 14% of Welsh respondents picked Labour as the best party on poverty, with 13% now picking Reform.
There is widespread agreement that the government must take responsibility for ensuring working households don’t live in poverty.
Over three-quarters (78%) of the British public said the government bears some responsibility for alleviating the poverty of households where at least one adult is in work.
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Read more:
Brits are hugely divided on which party they trust to reduce unemployment. The Conservatives lead on 15% overall, slightly ahead of Reform (14%) and Labour (12%).
But four in ten Brits think no party has the answer.
YouGov’s polling was commissioned by the Big Issue as its founder Lord John Bird took a group of its vendors and campaigners to Downing Street to hand-in a petition. Signed by 13,269 people, it called for Westminster to have legally binding poverty reduction targets.
Big Issue vendors and staff hand in a petition calling for legally binding poverty targets at 10 Downing Street. Image: Juliette Pedram
Lord Bird, the founder of the Big Issue and a crossbench peer, said: “With a new King’s Speech on the horizon, now is the time for the government to hear our demands and introduce legislation to create mandatory poverty reduction targets.
“We cannot accept goodwill in place of real change – we must demand sustained, legislative action. Let us not look back and regret another missed opportunity. The time has come to stop simply managing poverty and to begin ending it.”
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
You can read the full report on how Big Issue proposes establishing poverty reduction targets here.
Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more.
Change a vendor’s life.
Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week – and always take the magazine. It’s how vendors earn with dignity and move forward.
You can also support online:
Subscribe to the magazine or support our work with a monthly gift. Your support helps vendors earn, learn and thrive while strengthening our frontline services.
Thank you for standing with Big Issue vendors.
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty