Occupy London Impact

Almost three-quarters (71%) of Britons believe that the Occupy London anti-capitalist campsite outside St Paul’s Cathedral, evicted by police and bailiffs in the early hours of 28 February 2012, did not achieve much or anything at all, against 18% who consider that it did accomplish a lot or quite a lot.

This is the finding of a YouGov survey conducted online on 28 and 29 February 2012, in the immediate aftermath of the eviction, among a sample of 1,778 adults aged 18 and over. Detailed data tables were posted on the internet on 8 March at:

http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/vb5ebifzi7/Copy%20of%20Results%20120229%20Occupy%20London.pdf

Conservative voters (86%), Liberal Democrats (79%), and the over-60s (78%) were most likely to dismiss the protest as ineffective. Labour voters (29%) and Londoners (25%) were most inclined to think it had achieved something, in terms of raising awareness or influencing opinions and policies.

Two-thirds (66%) of respondents considered that the Corporation of London had been right to take legal action to evict the protestors, rising to 89% of Conservatives and 80% of the over-60s. 21% disapproved of the action, including 36% of Labour voters and 34% of the 18-24s. 13% expressed no opinion.

Notwithstanding these verdicts, 43% of the sample said that they supported the aims of the protestors (as opposed to their actions), 4% more than in late October 2011, when the St Paul’s campsite had been newly established. Such support was very strong among Labour voters (62%). 26% opposed the aims, with 32% unsure what to think.

 


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