Britons’ review of 2025 does not show a happy perspective for the next year. In Great Britain, 42% of Britons say 2025 was a bad year for them and their families. However, three in four (76%) Britons think it was a bad year for Great Britain, significantly higher than the global average.
Most Britons continue to think that 2026 will play out badly for the UK. Most Reform (79%) and Tory voters (67%) continue to believe 2026 will be a bad year for the UK. This figure falls to 37% of Labour voters and 40% of Lib Dems. There is not much optimism about the economy. Many Britons expect more tax rises and inflation to remain above the 2% target.
Britons’ Review of 2025: A Bad Year
The public is split into different groups. 36% say 2025 was a good year for them personally, and 35% describe it as an ‘average’ year. Fewer (27%) view the last 12 months as bad for themselves. In Britons’ review of 2025, 42% say 2025 was a bad year for them and their family, slightly lower than the global average of 50%.
However, three in four (76%) Britons think it was a bad year for Great Britain. It is significantly higher than the global average of 66% who believe it was a bad year for their country.
By contrast, a large majority of the public (66%) consider 2025 to have been a bad year for the UK. Only 6% believe it’s been a good year for Britain, with a further 24% saying it’s been ‘average’.
The majority of voters for the four largest 2024 parties all say it has been a bad year for the UK. Meanwhile, Labour and Lib Dem voters are notably less likely to do so (54-55%) than Conservative (77%) and Reform UK voters (83%).
Britons’ review of 2025: Unsatisfying Political Leadership
Economic concerns are reflected in the views of the country’s political leadership. More people think Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch will still be PM and leader of the Conservatives, respectively, at the end of 2026. However, belief in Keir Starmer’s longevity in particular has fallen significantly over the last 12 months.
Given the public’s economic predictions, there is even less confidence that Rachel Reeves will last the year. Nearly half expect her to be replaced as Chancellor. Views are more split over whether Reform will continue to set the pace in British politics and win the most seats in the Welsh Senedd elections in May. Most do not think they will merge with the Conservatives.
37% think that Andy Burnham will become an MP again by winning a by-election (26% unlikely, 37% don’t know). 19% believe the Conservative Party and Reform UK will merge (59% are doubtful). The proportion expecting this to happen is unchanged from last year. However, there is a slight fall among those who think it unlikely from 64% to 59%.
No Good Government: No Good Year
Britons’ review of 2025 also includes the UK government. The belief that the Government is handling key issues badly has increased in almost all cases over 2025, particularly among Labour voters. Notably, this growing belief that the Government is doing a bad job has consistently been higher among 2024 Labour voters than among Britons as a whole, including double-digit rises on nine of the 15 issues polled.
One thing seems obvious. There is no guarantee that voters will reassess their view of Labour even if the economy really starts to grow in 2026. On the contrary, things are likely to get worse before they get better. It is partly the result of policy errors by the Bank of England and the Treasury.
The increase was highest in taxation. 67% of Labour voters now believe the Government is handling the issue badly, up 21 points since January. Similarly, two-thirds feel the Government is handling the economy poorly, a 16-point increase. There are substantial increases in critical attitudes toward unemployment (up 18 points to 55%) and welfare benefits (up 17 points to 62%).
To continue Britons’ review of 2025: 2026 Unhappier for Britons.
Looking ahead to 2026, the number of people anticipating a good or average year for themselves doesn’t change much – although the number expecting next year to go badly for them does drop significantly to 15%.
Again, it is the young who are most optimistic (59% of 18–24-year-olds), with this figure reducing with each age group to 27% of the over-65s. Three-quarters (74%) of those who say they had a good 2025 expect to have a good 2026. However, 54% of those who had an average year think next year will be the same. Moreover, 22% expect things to be better.
Most Britons continue to think that 2026 will play out badly for the UK, although at a reduced rate of 52%. One in four (26%) think the year ahead will be average. One in nine (9%) expect it to be good. Most Reform (79%) and Tory voters (67%) continue to think 2026 will be a bad year for the UK. This figure falls to 37% of Labour voters and 40% of Lib Dems. Even so, few Labour voters (16%) think 2026 will be a good year for the country.
Overall, expectations for the coming year for the UK correlate strongly with how people think this past year has gone. Three-quarters of those who say 2025 has been good (73%) or bad (74%) for the country give the same answer for next year, as do 62% of those who think it’s been an average year for the UK.
Fear of Finance in 2026: Poorer Britons?
Britons are divided over the prospects for 2026, reflecting the challenges they faced in 2025. There is not a great deal of optimism about the economy, with many expecting more tax rises and inflation to remain above the 2% target, leaving only 1 in 3 hopeful that their personal finances will improve, and half worried the economy as a whole will slip into recession.
Half (51%) of Britons expect the UK economy to enter a recession in 2026, down from 57% last year. Just over six in ten (63%) believe the Government will raise income tax rates. Six in ten (60%) do not expect the UK’s inflation rate to fall below 2%, an increase in pessimism from 53% last year.
