Poll

Poll Started 31 August 2010: What's a necessity in modern living? Traditionally it was just food, shelter & clothing, yet official definitions of child poverty in the UK are now part-based on how close to 'average income' a family have, showing things have changed. Which of these household items are a necessity for a family with school-aged children in the UK?

Poll started 24 August 2010: Did you pay asking price for your pad? Asking prices are often optimistic, showing what the seller wants for the property, not what they'll get. (See Free House Price Valuations for more.) We've split the vote, as the process of buying and selling property in Scotland is different from the rest of the UK. In Scotland, properties are marketed with an 'offers over' price, often set low to encourage competition. When you bought your current home, what percentage above/below the asking price did you pay?

Poll started 17 August 2010: Should we stop the clocks going back? The PM's said the govt will consider keeping the clocks at British Summer Time all year round. This'd mean darker winter mornings but more daylight in the evenings. As there's often talk about the impact on Scotland we've split the voting out. Which of these is closest to your view?

Poll started 10 August 2010: Have you paid for pornography? The legal porn industry is said to be worth billions, yet it’s rarely ever discussed as a consumer purchase. So whether it’s on the internet, TV, phone, films, magazines or elsewhere... Which of these is closest to your situation (select your gender and answer) over the last year?

Which is the worst customer service bank? With the launch of Metro bank promising top customer service – how do you rate your bank. Find your bank – then rate it (you can only choose one)

Poll started 27 July 2010: What is your biggest bill? Excluding mortgages, rents & food, which of the following do you spend most on each year? (see the Budget Planner if you want to work it out in detail)

Poll Started 19 July 2010: Do you believe in the BBC licence fee? The TV licence fee costs £145.50 a year for any home with a colour TV, and pays for the BBC - that's TV, radio, regional programmes and BBC online and associated costs (full details). Do you believe in the licence fee?

Poll started 13 July 2010. Do you care if goods are made in sweatshops? There’ve been reports this week of seven year olds working 100s of hours in sweatshops (see Mail story), yet what about the wider picture of adults in sweatshops? Which of the following is closest to your view of sweatshop-sourced foreign goods?

We’ve been out of recession now for five months (defined as the economy shrinking for 2+ consecutive quarters), yet the FTSE is down and there’s reduced govt spending, so could we dip back in? Quick Stats Current growth: Up 0.3% in first quarter Economy shrank during 2009: Down 4.8% Govt predicted growth for 2010: Up 1.2% (2.3% for 2011) What do you think will happen to the economy over the next year?

Recently the six big energy companies agreed their doorstep salespeople would obey a no cold callers sign on the door (click link to get a free one). Doorstep Sellers Pros: Can alert you to local offers, helps fledgling businesses announce their services. Doorstep Sellers Cons: Can be annoying & and leaves the vulnerable at mercy of pushy sale. Which of these is closest to your view?