Bank of England Inflation Attitudes Survey Results

Bank of England Publications

Published March 13th, 2026

Detected March 13th, 2026

Summary

The Bank of England has published the results of its latest quarterly Inflation Attitudes Survey for February 2026. The survey assesses public perceptions of inflation, the Bank's work, and economic expectations, with key figures showing a slight decrease in current and expected inflation rates compared to November 2025.

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What changed

The Bank of England, in conjunction with Ipsos, has released the February 2026 Inflation Attitudes Survey results. This quarterly notice provides an overview of public perceptions regarding inflation rates, economic outlook, and interest rate expectations. Key findings indicate a median current inflation rate of 4.6% (down from 4.7%), with expectations for the coming year at 3.2% (down from 3.5%) and longer-term expectations remaining at 3.7%. Public sentiment suggests a belief that the economy would weaken if prices rise faster, and a slight increase in respondents viewing the inflation target as 'about right'.

This publication is primarily informational, offering insights into public sentiment rather than imposing new regulatory requirements. Regulated entities, particularly those in financial services, may use this data to understand consumer expectations and economic sentiment. No immediate compliance actions are required, but awareness of these public attitudes can inform strategic communications and risk assessments. The survey methodology has undergone changes since May 2020, and caution is advised when comparing data across different survey vintages.

Source document (simplified)

Bank of England/Ipsos Inflation Attitudes Survey - February 2026

This quarterly survey, conducted by Ipsos on our behalf, assesses public attitudes to inflation, opinions about the Bank and awareness of our work.

Published on

13 March 2026

News release

This news release describes the results of the Bank of England’s latest quarterly survey of public attitudes to inflation.

From February 2022, the survey has been conducted on the Bank of England’s behalf by Ipsos, prior to that it was conducted by Kantar. Ipsos interviewed a quota sample of people aged 16-75 across the United Kingdom; the sample was surveyed between 6 and 11 February & 20 and 24 February 2026.

Please note since May 2020 the survey changed from being conducted face-to-face to online. This change resulted in a methodological break in the series in May 2020. For example, the proportions of respondents who answered “Don’t know/ No idea” to the May survey’s questions declined substantially. That perhaps reflected the design of the online questionnaire, where the option of “Don’t know/ No idea” appeared only if the respondent tried to move onto the next question without giving an answer. In the surveys since August 2020 however, the option of “Don’t know/ No idea” appeared in the same showcard as the other options. The proportions of respondents answering “Don’t know/ No idea” returned to usual levels for most questions in the August 2020 and subsequent surveys.

These mode of collection changes mean caution should be taken when making comparisons across the latest twelve surveys and May 2020 and with previous vintages, which were based on face-to-face interviews.

More details about the methodology applied in the surveys since May 2020 can be found in the ‘Methodology and notes – online survey’ attachment and that of previous surveys in the ‘Methodology and notes – face-to-face survey’ attachment.

Highlights from the Survey

Question 1: Asked to give the current rate of inflation, respondents gave a median answer of 4.6%, down from 4.7% in November 2025.

Question 2a: Median expectations of the rate of inflation over the coming year were 3.2%, down from 3.5% in November 2025.

Question 2b: Asked about expected inflation in the twelve months after that, respondents gave a median answer of 3.2%, down from 3.3% in November 2025.

Question 2c: Asked about expectations of inflation in the longer term, say in five years’ time, respondents gave a median answer of 3.7%, unchanged from 3.7% in November 2025.

Question 3: By a margin of 72% to 4%, survey respondents believed that the economy would end up weaker, rather than stronger, if prices started to rise faster, compared to 74% and 4% respectively in November 2025.

Question 4: 39% of respondents thought the inflation target was ‘about right’, up from 36% in November 2025. The proportions saying the target was ‘too high’ or ‘too low’ were 34% and 10% respectively.

Question 5: 32% of respondents said that interest rates on things such as mortgages, bank loans and savings had risen over the past 12 months, down from 38% in November 2025. Meanwhile, 35% of respondents thought that interest rates had fallen over the past 12 months, up from 26% in November 2025.

Question 6: When asked about the future path of interest rates, 30% of respondents expected rates to rise over the next 12 months, down from 38% in November 2025. 26% said they expected rates to stay about the same over the next twelve months, up from 24% in November 2025 and 29% said they expected rates to decline over the next twelve months, up from 25% in November 2025

Question 7: Asked what would be ‘best for the economy’ – higher interest rates, lower rates or no change – 11% thought rates should ‘go up’, down from 13% in November 2025. 35% of respondents thought that interest rates should ‘go down’, compared to 36% in November 2025. 27% thought interest rates should ‘stay where they are’, unchanged from 27% in November 2025.

Question 8: When asked what would be ‘best for you personally’, 27% of respondents said it would be better for them if interest rates were to ‘go up’, up from 26% in November 2025. 30% of respondents said it would be better for them if interest rates were to ‘go down’, unchanged from 30% in November 2025.

Question 14: Respondents were asked to assess the way the Bank of England is ‘doing its job to set interest rates to control inflation’. The net satisfaction balance, the proportion satisfied minus the proportion dissatisfied, was 2%, up from -1% in November 2025.

Long-run summary results data

Detailed summary responses