{
  "id": 3108960,
  "title": "Nearly half favour improving the economy nationally over regional development as most Brits say economy growth does more good than harm",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/nearly-half-favour-improving-the-economy-nationally-over-regional",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-24T21:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hellenic Shipping News",
    "slug": "hellenic-shipping-news",
    "url": "https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/nearly-half-favour-improving-the-economy-nationally-over-regional-development-as-most-brits-say-economy-growth-does-more-good-than-harm/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A survey conducted by Ipsos reveals that the majority of British people favor national economic growth over regional development, with 59% believing that economic growth does more good than harm. However, this support for growth is tempered when considering environmental and immigration trade-offs. While 44% of respondents prefer focusing on environmental protection even if it harms economic growth, a smaller 24% advocate for prioritizing economic growth even at the expense of environmental concerns.\n\nImmigration policy also garners strong public opinion, with 48% advocating for strict limits on immigration even if it hampers economic growth. In contrast, only 32% believe Britain should allow as much immigration as needed to support economic growth. Political affiliation strongly influences these views, with 74% of Conservative voters and 83% of Reform UK voters supporting strict immigration limits regardless of economic impact, while 47% of Labour voters prefer allowing immigration to bolster the economy.\n\nWhen considering how the economy should be structured, Britons are divided on the importance of wealth redistribution versus overall growth. While 37% believe growing the overall economy is more critical than redistributing money between individuals, 34% argue that redistributing wealth is more important. Another 20% see both as equally important. On regional development, 47% of British adults favor focusing on the whole UK economy, while 29% prefer concentrating on specific regions and nations within the UK. This shift in regional focus preference has risen from 23% in November 2024 to the current 47%, with support for national development dropping from 55% to 29%.\n\nCommenting on the findings, Ipsos Research Director Alex Bogdan noted that most Britons view economic growth positively and favor a focus on the national economy over regional development. As No. 10 takes responsibility for economic growth and devolution strategy, the primary political challenge lies not in convincing the public that growth matters but in demonstrating how a focus on local and regional growth can benefit the wider economy.",
  "summary": "Broad consensus on economic growth, but divide over green priorities While economic growth has strong public support in principle, introducing trade offs around the environment and immigration softens support: • 59% of Britons agree that economic growth does more good than harm, while only 13% argue that growth does more harm than good. • When ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}