Brits regard China, India as future economic threats : Deloitte-YouGov survey

A recent survey of public opinion in the UK reveals that the British consider China and India as the biggest challenges to the economy of the UK over the next five years. The survey was conducted by Deloitte and market research company YouGov.

While the continued growth of China's manufacturing is seen as the biggest threat to the UK, the proliferation of call centres in India for UK-based companies is viewed with concern. Only 6 per cent supported the continuation of offshoring in view of the growing economic prowess of India and China.

• 64 per cent of respondents expressed a negative reaction to off-shoring
  
• 25 per cent held the opinion that existing off-shoring programmes should be reversed.
  
• 79 per cent of the 2,700 respondents regarded China as the biggest threat to the UK,
  
• 45 per cent who consider India as the main challenger to their economy
  
• 75 per cent of those surveyed wanted larger investment in education and training to boost UK's competitiveness.
  
• 60 per cent said there should be more support for small business start-ups.

A separate Deloitte report, Trading Places on the world's most competitive countries, said the UK could fall from sixth to the 12th most competitive country globally by 2010.The report put the US in first place, followed by Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, and the UK.

By 2010 it estimates that while the US, Sweden, Finland and Denmark will keep their positions, South Korea will overtake Germany; and the UK will drop from sixth to 12th as it is overtaken by countries like Canada, Japan, Switzerland and Austria.