Almost three-quarters (71%) of Britons believe that the Occupy London anti-capitalist campsite outside St Paul’s Cathedral, evicted by police and bailiffs in the early hours of 28 February 2012, did not achieve much or anything at all, against 18% who consider that it did accomplish a lot or quite a lot.
This is the finding of a YouGov survey conducted online on 28 and 29 February 2012, in the immediate aftermath of the eviction, among a sample of 1,778 adults aged 18 and over. Detailed data tables were posted on the internet on 8 March at:
Conservative voters (86%), Liberal Democrats (79%), and the over-60s (78%) were most likely to dismiss the protest as ineffective. Labour voters (29%) and Londoners (25%) were most inclined to think it had achieved something, in terms of raising awareness or influencing opinions and policies.
Two-thirds (66%) of respondents considered that the Corporation of London had been right to take legal action to evict the protestors, rising to 89% of Conservatives and 80% of the over-60s. 21% disapproved of the action, including 36% of Labour voters and 34% of the 18-24s. 13% expressed no opinion.
Notwithstanding these verdicts, 43% of the sample said that they supported the aims of the protestors (as opposed to their actions), 4% more than in late October 2011, when the St Paul’s campsite had been newly established. Such support was very strong among Labour voters (62%). 26% opposed the aims, with 32% unsure what to think.
