Skip to content

Londoners say life in capital getting worse, poll suggests

Reuters File image of a man and a woman sat on a bench in north London overlooking a view of the city skylineReuters
The polling suggests "Londoners have become more concerned about the affordability of living", Dr Elizabeth Simon says

A majority of Londoners feel health, housing and crime levels have got worse in the past year but they do not want to leave, according to a poll.

A YouGov survey commissioned by the Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) asked people about life and public services.

The polling was carried out as part of the institute's aim to investigate what Londoners think about key issues.

Researchers said some of the answers were "striking".

More than 1,110 people in London were interviewed for the poll, between 12 and 19 February, with the following findings:

  • 67% of respondents said NHS and other public health services had got worse
  • 65% said housing was worse
  • 58% said crime in general had got worse

Few people saw improvement in public services, but the survey suggested:

  • 57% thought public transport was better or the same
  • 60% thought the environment was the same or had got better
  • 44% said education had improved or stayed the same

The cost of living is also a worry for many Londoners, but the team at QMUL said there was "relatively little appetite" to leave the capital despite its problems.

When asked to describe London in a word, 60% of respondents labelled the capital as "expensive", compared with 38% who picked "diverse", 33% "crowded" and 21% "cultural".

Dr Elizabeth Simon from QMUL said this particular finding was "striking" compared to the 43% of people who described the capital as expensive five years ago.

"Our polling clearly indicates that Londoners have become more concerned about the affordability of living in the city over the past five or so years," she said.

Reuters File image of a woman and a child climbing up concrete steps leading out of a housing estate in south LondonReuters
More than half of those likely to leave London said it was because they wanted to live somewhere cheaper

However, a majority (60%) also said they were likely to still be living in London in five years, compared to a quarter who said they probably would not.

More than half of those saying they were likely to leave said it was because they wanted to live somewhere cheaper.

While there was dissatisfaction with some aspects of London life, there was a thumbs-up for others. Asked to name the best things about the capital, respondents said:

  • 45% said access to public transport
  • 43% chose the range of activities and things to do
  • 37% pointed to the diversity of London's population and culture

And in terms of perceptions of the Met Police, 44% of those asked said they either had "a great deal" or "fair amount" of trust in the service, with 50% saying they had "not very much trust" or "no trust at all".

"While the level of trust in the Metropolitan Police Service clearly remains low among Londoners - and there is much work still to be done if the public are to regain confidence in the institution - the results of our recent poll provide some evidence to suggest that the situation may be improving somewhat," Dr Simon said.

Presentational grey line

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]