Overwhelming support for lockdown restrictions in Wales, poll finds

There is overwhelming public support for tough Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in Wales according to a recent opinion poll.

The latest Welsh Barometer poll for ITV Cymru Wales shows voters strongly back the measures introduced by the Welsh Government just before Christmas.

When asked if they supported or opposed the measures, 80 per cent of Welsh voters questioned said they supported them, while just 11 per cent were opposed and 9 per cent said they were neither in favour nor against, or simply didn’t know.

Measures that were only narrowly backed by the Welsh public during the autumn “firebreak” lockdown are now much more popular than they were, now that the NHS is having to fight against a more infectious variant of Covid-19.

Banning households meeting up outside was considered excessive by many back in the autumn. At that time 43 per cent were in favour but 39 were against, whilst the rest didn’t know. By now 61 per cent support the ban on outdoor meetings, with only 24 per cent against.

Support for closing non-essential shops has also gone from 49 per cent to 69 per cent, with those opposing it decreasing from 35 per cent to 19 per cent.

The Welsh Political Barometer poll, for ITV Cymru Wales and Cardiff University, had a sample of 1,018 Welsh voters aged 16 and over. It was carried out online by YouGov between January 11 and 14 2021.