After a steady improvement in the months leading up to the general election, British Government approval is drifting back down again

Traditionally newly elected governments get a few months' honeymoon in terms of voter approval, but new YouGov research reveals the Conservative majority government formed last year got precisely one. A steady increase in government approval from an average of -21 in the winter of 2014-2015 to -11 in spring and -9 in summer - reaching as high as -5 in May and June - quickly went into reverse. At -25 government approval is now the lowest it has been since June 2014 (-27).

Compared to the coalition government's equivalent period, however, the decline is far less precipitous.

Comparing figures from the first nine months of each period, the coalition started with far higher expectations from the public (+18 approval in the first five polls), but by February 2011 approval had fallen to the same level now experienced by the current Conservative government (-25).

Average approval for the whole of the 2010-2015 coalition government remained at this level (-24), however in 2013 average approval was -31 and even -33 in 2012, at times falling to as low as -43 during the spring of 2012.

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