New polling shows Londoners are proud of their city but don't want stronger London government

A new poll, published in the run up to the first London Policy Conference, shows that nearly eight out of ten London residents are proud to be a Londoner - and that an attachment to London is stronger among Londoners than an attachment to the UK.

The YouGov poll, jointly commissioned by Cardiff and Edinburgh Universities and leading think tank IPPR, shows that Londoners appear to like self-government and believe that the UK government should have less influence over London than the Mayor, Assembly and Boroughs - but they also believe that the Boroughs should exercise more control than they currently do. Boroughs were seen as more concerned with people's 'worries and needs' and more important in making decisions that impacted on their lives. The Mayor and the London Assembly were seen as less concerned and only 20 per cent of those polled wanted the Mayor to have more powers - a contrast with Scotland and Wales where devolution has led to public support for increased for enhanced self-governance.

PPR Associate Director Guy Lodge said:

"As London heads into a seminal year in which it hosts the Olympics and holds important mayoral elections, this poll shows that Londoners are confident and optimistic. The sense of pride and attachment that Londoners feel about their city is striking - though it is interesting that after London, it is to England and not the UK that most Londoners look. While very few people want to see London lose its existing powers of self-government - and Londoners appear to find the Westminster parliament as less concerned with their worries and needs as many other Britons - only one in five support increasing the powers of the Mayor."

More details from the polling:

Pride and attachment

When asked to indicate how attached they were to London, England, the UK and Europe, Londoners gave the following response:

When asked how proud, if at all, people were with certain identities, the response was:

Governance and politics

When London people were asked which elected bodies have the most influence and which should, the results were as follows:

When poll participants were asked which elected bodies are most concerned with 'the worries and needs of the people of London' more picked the Boroughs (37 per cent) over the Mayor and Assembly (27 per cent). Only 7 per cent selected the UK government. Londoners also believe that decisions made by their Borough Council are more important to them than those made by the Mayor and Assembly: 52 per cent said that decisions made by the Boroughs are very important, compared with 39 per cent for the Mayor and Assembly.

When asked about the powers of the London Mayor, the respondents gave the following answer:

Notes to Editors

The London Policy Conference is the first major policy conference looking at the capital's issues as a whole. Set to become a major annual event - a 'Davos for London - it will attract senior London, national and international figures. The Conference includes:

• Boris Johnson and Ken Livingston will both give key-note speeches
• Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe's will be giving his first public speech - with "US Super Cop" Bill Bratton responding
• The chair of London's chamber of commerce, Willie Walsh. boss of British Airways and the chair of the advertising giants WPP, Sir Martin Sorrell, will speak on London's economy.
• The banker's spokesperson, Angela Knight, will debate the role of the City with Canon Giles Fraser who shot to fame after resigning from St Pauls over the Occupy London protests
• Baroness Margaret Ford, chair of the Olympic Legacy Company and Neale Coleman, London 2012 Advisor to Boris Johnson, will debate the Olympics
• The former mayors of Barcelona and Vancouver, both former Olympic cities, are among the international speakers

The event at Southbank will look ahead to 2012 - a seminal year for London. The eyes of the world will be on London as we approach and deliver the 2012 Olympics. 2012 also brings the fourth election battle for Mayor of London.

The Conference will tackle key issues including how London maintains growth and competitiveness in a fragile economy, how the city looks after its people and the future of policing, security green technology and governance in the greatest city in the world.

This data is taken from a 'Future of England' survey which looks in detail at shifting patterns of identity and attitudes towards governance within England and represents the most detailed exploration of public attitudes to the so-called English Question. It is part of a major research collaboration between the Wales Governance Centre (Cardiff University), the Institute of Governance (Edinburgh University) and the IPPR. A report based on the findings from the poll will be published in January 2012.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The total sample size was 1,507 adults and fieldwork was undertaken between 27 July and 2 August 2011. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). A boost sample was included for London: the total sample size was 750 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27th July - 2nd August 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all London adults (aged 18+).

Contacts:

Richard Darlington: 07525 481 602 / r.darlington@ippr.org

Tim Finch: 07595 920 899 / t.finch@ippr.org