Q. Do you think the following have become better or worse compared to 12 months ago?
| Total better | Total worse | A lot better | A little better | No change | A little worse | A lot worse | Don’t know | Total better Feb 2016 | Total worse Feb 2016 | |||
| Company profits | 42% | 12% | 14% | 28% | 27% | 8% | 4% | 20% | 30% | 22% | ||
| Unemployment | 32% | 33% | 5% | 27% | 29% | 21% | 12% | 7% | 13% | 53% | ||
| The economy overall | 30% | 32% | 4% | 26% | 31% | 23% | 9% | 7% | 12% | 55% | ||
| Your personal financial situation | 25% | 40% | 4% | 21% | 32% | 23% | 17% | 4% | 18% | 42% | ||
| Wages | 10% | 39% | 2% | 8% | 40% | 25% | 14% | 10% | 14% | 35% | ||
| National debt | 17% | 47% | 3% | 14% | 23% | 28% | 19% | 14% | 9% | 56% | ||
| Job security | 13% | 47% | 2% | 11% | 33% | 30% | 17% | 8% | 11% | 53% | ||
| Cost of living | 7% | 73% | 2% | 5% | 16% | 41% | 32% | 3% | 7% | 71% | ||
| Electricity costs | 6% | 75% | 2% | 4% | 14% | 32% | 43% | 5% | 9% | 62% |
A substantial majority believe that, in the last 12 months, cost of living (73%) and electricity costs (75%) have all got worse. The only economic measure that has got better is company profits (42% better/12% worse).
Compared the last time this question was asked in February 2016, there has been an increase in the percentage that think electricity costs (up 13% to 75%) have got worse. However, there has also been an increase in the percentage that think company profits (+12), unemployment (+19) and the economy overall (+18) have got better.