ComRes to run weekly spending cuts poll for ITV

The ‘Cuts Index’ will use online surveys to ask samples of 2,000 people the same questions every week for a year. Results will be used in coverage on ITV’s News at Ten.

The poll will ask about trust in the coalition government, financial wellbeing, view on public services, and general happiness. It will profile how different social gropus, regions, genders and ages are responding to the cuts.

Deborah Turness, editor of ITV News, said: “We all know the cuts will be deep and that they will hurt. But who will they hurt most? Which services will be hit hardest? And how will they impact on attitudes towards the coalition government? By teaming up with ComRes ITV News can go beyond the anecdotal to deliver a statistically robust, dynamic measure of how Britain changes as the cuts take hold.”

Details of the planned cuts are to be revealed by chancellor George Osborne tomorrow in an announcement to parliament tomorrow.

During this year’s general election campaign ComRes used automated phone surveys to conduct polls on the leaders debates, with results presented on ITV’s News at Ten the same evening. It is now using the same technique to provide quick reaction polls to the advertising industry.