Perceptions of government

Net trust increased throughout 2025, peaking at 79% in October, but it declined significantly in January 2026, falling to 52%. Public communication and trust were seen as the main area for improvement in January 2026 which suggests repeated U-turns and a perceived lack of clarity from the UK government on certain issues are affecting business confidence in government. Communication and transparency were also the primary area for improvement back in April 2025, which points to this being a recurring issue for the Government that undermines their credibility and creates uncertainty for business leaders. The economy also remained stubbornly stagnant throughout late 2025/early 2026, which is an additional reason why some business leaders have lost confidence in the Government’s ability to achieve its goals.

Throughout 2025, the Government was praised for its budgeting and goal setting, but in January 2026, environmental protection/sustainability considerations were listed as what they did best. This sudden shift away from pure project delivery and administrative tasks contains several implications. Environmental protection/sustainability considerations are more value-based metrics, setting a higher bar for success because there is more room for subjective interpretation, unlike budgeting where there is a clear good or bad outcome. Even if a project is delivered on time and on budget, there could still be distrust if people feel the environmental impact was too great, or a planned social benefit didn’t materialise. This could also explain why trust in the government dropped so heavily by January 2026. This is mirrored by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Project Delivery’s report in November 2025 which warned that infrastructure projects are being stifled by the "pressure cooker of Government, Parliament, the media and public expectation”. While recommendations have been put forward to address this, assessments like this may have decreased confidence among business leaders in the government’s project capability, at least in the short term.

Interestingly, environmental protection/sustainability considerations were also listed amongst the areas needed to improve in January. The fact that it appears here, alongside communication and transparency, could mean that while people are receptive to the ideas and goals the government are setting, they are becoming frustrated with the government, potentially around the costs or the timelines needed to reach these environmental/sustainability goals. APM will continue its work with the government to ensure full transparency and clarity around projects.

What do you think the UK government does best when it comes to managing and delivering projects?

Most-chosen answers from survey respondents

What do you think the UK government most needs to improve when it comes to managing and delivering projects?

Most-chosen answers from survey respondents