Akhir 12, 1432 / March 17, 2011, SPA -- Britons remain deeply pessimistic about the economy and are increasingly worried about their personal finances, a poll published on Thursday showed, according to Reuters. This month's Reuters/Ipsos MORI poll shows that 48 percent of voters believe their personal financial circumstances will worsen over the next year. That figure was less than a third a year ago. Britain's coalition government, in power since May, is slashing spending on public services, aiming to all but eliminate a budget deficit of about 10 percent of national output by 2015. A budget next week is expected to offer little respite from a package of austerity measures that includes widespread job cuts in the public sector. The Ipsos MORI Economic Optimism Index was at minus 28, with 51 percent of those surveyed saying they thought the country's economy would get worse over the next 12 months. Economic optimism is at two-year lows. "People are pessimistic about the future of the economy and most now think it will take longer for the economy to recover than a year ago," said Helen Cleary of Ipsos MORI. "At a time when GDP forecasts suggest that the economy is getting stronger, public opinion is not following official predictions."
