The index for July 2026 showed 43% of Britons saw immigration as a key concern, an increase of four percentage points since June and the highest percentage seen this year, albeit level to the scores seen in January, February and May.

The economy was a key concern for 30% of those surveyed, albeit with a seven-percentage point drop since June and the lowest score for the issue in a year.

The issue that received the biggest rise was defence and foreign affairs, which was up five points to 18% to fifth in the rankings, with Conservatives and Green Party supporters the parties with the highest levels of concern.

Ipsos’ Optimism Index found that  13% of Britons expect the national economic situation to improve, up two points from June, while 64% think it will get worse, albeit five points fewer than in the previous month, with 19% expecting it to stay the same, up three points.  

This equates to the joint-highest economic optimism index rating this year at -51, Ipsos said, and is an improvement on the -58 score recorded last month in June, continuing a gradual monthly improvement from an historical low of -72 in April but still far below the long-term historical average of -19. 

Mike Clemence, research director at Ipsos, said: “As Andy Burnham kicks off his tenure as prime minister, he inherits an economic optimism score that is as low, if not worse, than as it was at the end of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss’s times as PM. Nearly two-thirds of Britons expect the economy to worsen over the coming year.  

“Our data on the nation’s biggest issues from the final index of the Starmer era highlights some of his key challenges: immigration leads public perceptions, while the other top concerns – the economy, NHS, cost-of-living and defence – speak to the complex and competing demands of the British public.”