Two-thirds of public oppose Royal Mail sell-off

Two-thirds of British adults oppose the privatisation of the Royal Mail, including 36% of Britons who "strongly oppose" it

Yesterday Business Secretary Vince Cable laid out the details of the sell-off of the Royal Mail, confirming that the postal service will be floated on the London Stock Exchange. Mr Cable also confirmed plans to give 10% of the shares in the newly privatised Royal Mail to postal service employees for free, while making the other 90% available for purchase by the public. YouGov can now reveal that the changes are opposed by a majority of the British public.

New YouGov research shows the privatisation of the Royal Mail is opposed by 67% of British adults, and supported by 20%. Most of the passion about the plans appears to be among those who oppose it: 36% of Britons "strongly oppose" privatisation, compared to only 4% who strongly support it.

Labour, Lib Dem and UKIP supporters oppose the sell-off by majorities of 78%-11%, 72%-17% and 76%-18%, respectively. Conservative voters are less opposed, but still tend to oppose the plans by 48%-40%. Additionally, while only 8% of Conservative voters “strongly support” the sell-off, 20% “strongly oppose” it; among Labour, those who “strongly oppose” outnumber those who "stongly support" it by a ratio of almost 25 to 1.

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