The average public sector pension is £5,600, but a new YouGov poll today finds that people think that the average public sector pension is around £14,000. But they think it should be even higher. Asked what they think the average public sector pension should be they say £15,000.
A majority think that the threat of a strike has been effective in making the government put forward a new offer – 44 per cent agree that the government has put forward a “new offer because of the threat of the strike” while only 14 per cent think they have done so “because they listened to the concerns of public sector workers”.
A further 20 per cent think both equally, giving 64 per cent who think the threat of the strike has contributed to persuading the government to make a new offer.
A majority of people who have a realistic view of what pensions actually pay – those who think it is between £5,000 and £9,999 a year back the strike (52%, compared to 39% of these who oppose the strike).
The more people over-estimate the generosity of pensions, the more they oppose the strike. Around two thirds of those who think that the average payment is more than £20,000 a year oppose the strike action.
On average, those who support the strike think the current average public sector pension is around £12,000 a year, while on average those who oppose the strike think it is approximately £16,000 a year.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Union members defending their pension today can take great comfort from these figures.
“A big majority think that our threat of strike action has already been effective in getting the government to shift its position.
“And while we know that not everyone supports us, many of those who oppose us have a very inaccurate view of what public sector pensions actually pay out. Given the onslaught of misleading propaganda about ‘gold-plated pensions’, it does not come as a surprise that some people have been taken in.”
