Most people expect there to be another financial crisis in the next year, YouGov poll shows

YouGov data shows that stock market volatility at the start of the year has spooked people more than Black Monday

Hazel Sheffield
Monday 11 January 2016 17:32 GMT
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In a speech on the same day as the survey, Osborne said the Uk faces a "dangerous cocktail" of economic risks and that 2016 would be the "year of mission critical"
In a speech on the same day as the survey, Osborne said the Uk faces a "dangerous cocktail" of economic risks and that 2016 would be the "year of mission critical" (Getty Images)

Over half the people in the UK think there will be another financial crisis in 2016, according to the results of a YouGov survey.

Of the 3723 adults surveyed, 11 per cent said that another financial crisis was very likely this year, while 40 per cent said one was fairly likely.

Meanwhile 25 per cent thought a financial crisis was fairly unlikely and just three per cent said very unlikely.

YouGov asked the question on January 7, after a difficult day of trading on stock markets around the world.

Chinese stocks were halted by an automated stopping mechanism just minutes after the opening bell after plunging more than 7 per cent. Shock waves reverberated around global markets.

Some feared a reprise of the events of Black Monday on August 24, when the Shanghai Composite fell 8.48 per cent in one day following weeks of decline, triggering losses around the world.

But YouGov data shows that stock market volatility at the start of the year has spooked people more than Black Monday.

Then, opinion was almost equally split over the likelihood of another financial crisis, with 40 per cent of people believing one was likely and 37 per cent saying one was not.

Older people tend to be even more pessimistic, with 62 per cent predicting a crash in the next 12 months.

The change in sentiment echoes Chancellor George Osborne's own change in tone. In a speech on the same day as the survey, Osborne said the Uk faces a "dangerous cocktail" of economic risks and that 2016 would be the "year of mission critical".

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