Britons most pessimistic about economy since 2008 - Ipsos MORI

People in Britain are at their most pessimistic about the outlook for the economy since the 2008 financial crisis because of the coronavirus pandemic, polling firm Ipsos MORI said on Thursday. A poll of showed 69% of respondents thought the economy would get worse in the next 12 months, sharply up from 42% in February.

"Around half the public felt the government was handling the crisis well, although half were wanting more to be done," Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said. The poll of 1,003 people was conducted between March 13 and March 16, before some of the most recent emergency measures were announced. (Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Stephen Addison)