Government Departments: Public Opinion
The question
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance he has issued on efficiency savings through reducing spending on public opinion research.
Answered by Georgia Gould
The Prime Minister has set out his ambition to deliver long-term, impactful changes to reshape the British state and the Government is taking forward a number of measures to deliver greater efficiency and transformation in the Civil Service. The Government has announced the first zero-based review of government spending in 17 years, with departments expected to go line-by-line to find savings and efficiencies, including in bodies and agencies that they sponsor.
While spending on public opinion research to support evidence-based policy is a matter for individual departments, the Government regularly evaluates the effectiveness of all communication activities to ensure they are delivering and providing the best value for money for taxpayers. An example of this is the recent comprehensive communications Spending Review that delivered savings of £85 million in 2024-25 and up to £96 million in 2025-26.
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