SECRET
HOME INTELLIGENCE DIVISION
APPENDIX
Further results of a survey by the British Institute of Public opinion
For internal circulation only
25 FEB 1943
The following further results of the British Institute survey, completed on January 24, 1943, have just been received. This survey was not sponsored by the Home Intelligence Division.
1.
SUNDAY THEATRES
Q. “Would you approve or disapprove of theatres being allowed to open on Sundays, just as they do on other days?”
Approve
Disapprove
Don't know
Comments
%
%
%
%
Approve
Total:
58
33
9
16
People have right to enjoyment on Sunday
Men
59
32
9
11
No harm in it providing actors get a rest.
Women
57
34
9
10
For duration. Give the soldiers somewhere to go.
Age Groups:
21 - 29
75
16
7
5
Then people could go or not
30 - 49
61
30
9
50 and over
49
41
10
Disapprove
16
Keep Sunday day of rest. Sabbath
4
Actors need a day off
Income Groups:
Higher
56
38
6
2
Would be a bad thing
Middle
60
32
8
Lower
58
32
10
3
Miscellaneous
33
No comment
NOTE BY HOME INTELLIGENCE
Our reports, and those of Postal Censorship, show little evidence of
spontaneous
interest in the subject of Sunday opening of theatres.
2.
THE JEWS AND ANTI-SEMITISM
Q: “Among the people you know, do you think that anti-Jewish feeling is increasing, decreasing, or about the same?”
Increasing
Decreasing
Same
Don't know
%
%
%
%
Total
25
16
43
16
Total: (Jan 1942)
19
11
44
26
Men
29
17
42
12
Women
22
14
44
20
Income Groups:
Higher
32
24
38
6
Middle
29
15
47
9
Lower
24
15
43
18
There is no significant difference in feeling between age groups in the sample.
Q: “About how many Jews do you think there are in this country?”
British Jews
%
More than 3 million
12
More than 1 million
10
More than 600,000
12
More than 400,000
8
More than 200,000
5
Between 200,000 and 5,000
22
No estimate
31
100
Note by BIPO
The actual number of British Jews in this country is between 3-400,000
Refugee Jews
%
More than 500,000
10
More than 100,000
8
More than 60,000
5
More than 40,000
5
More than 20,000
20
Between 5,000 and 1,000
7
No estimate
45
100
3.
THE PARTY SYSTEM AFTER THE WAR
Q: “Do you think that after the war we shall go back to the Party system we had before the war?”
Yes
No
No opinion
Comments
%
%
%
%
Total:
48
20
32
13
Must have parties for a democracy
6
We always have had parties
Men
57
21
22
7
There must be some change. Parties perhaps but not like pre-war.
Women
39
18
43
6
I hope not, we should not
2
The Tories will have all the say again
Age:
21 - 29
42
18
40
3
We shall have a National Govt. for some time
30 - 49
50
20
30
1
We shall have a Labour Govt. after the war
50 and over
49
20
31
5
Don't know enough about politics
7
Miscellaneous
Income Groups:
Higher
68
21
11
50
No comment
Middle
58
22
20
Lower
44
19
37
Note by BIPO
.
Spontaneous comments offered by 50% of contacts made it clear that opinion on this subject is far from being clear-cut. Some who believe that we shall return to the Party system hope at the same time that we shall not return. The same is true of many saying ‘Don't know’. Of the people believing that we would not return, none hoped that we would. The basis of this attitude seemed to be general dissatisfaction with things as they were before the war, the “Party system” being linked up in peoples' minds sometimes with the dominance of vested interests and sometimes with the division between the two classes - rich and poor.
