Private Optimism vs Public Despair: what do opion polls tell us? November 6, 2008

Opinion polls offer revealing insight into the public’s sense of well-being. But what do we learn when polling shows what one might call a ‘cognitive disconnect’, with a marked contrast between personal perceptions and the public reality?

How is it that individuals can express record levels of feelings of personal safety, job satisfaction, and contentment with the NHS, and yet 63 per cent state that Britain is broken? If certain polls show a static level of personal happiness for 30 years, regardless of economic downturn or upswing, does the national mood even matter?

In the wake of today’s financial crisis, join us as we look at how people are thinking and feeling about today’s economic, social and political climate, and consider the way forward.

With Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive RSA; Ben Page, Managing Director, Ipsos MORI; Deborah Mattinson, co-founder of Opinion Leader Research; and Paul Dolan, Professor of Economics at Imperial College Business School.

Chair: Daniel Finkelstein, Comment Editor, The Times

Places are free but advance booking is recommended.

Book online at www.thersa.org.uk or email [email protected]

Official Website: http://www.thersa.org/events