Public prefers big banks to Church of England

England’s confidence in its institutions would appear to be on a downward turn. Only 40% of the population trust the police force, while support for Parliament has gone down noticeably in recent years, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. One exception, strangely, is big banks. New polling commissioned for St George’s Day asks the public which institutions they consider most important to England. While the NHS comes out on top at 62%, big banks’ score of 22% places them above the BBC and the Church of England in the popular rankings.

Asked what England’s most important institutions are the public opt for the NHS first of all, followed by the police, parliament and the court system. Political parties on the other hand are seen as less vital! pic.twitter.com/GbfVxunKmV

— Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) April 23, 2024

While this sort of attitude might have seemed unthinkable in the years immediately following the 2008 financial crash, Brits’ views towards the City have clearly softened since Liz Truss’s doomed crusade against the markets. Given that the former PM is currently ranked among the country’s least popular politicians, this might be a case of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Last year’s recession must feel like ancient history…

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