Savanta Takes Over UK Inflation Survey, Lower Expectations Expected
The Bank of England's inflation survey has undergone a change in providers, shifting from Ipsos to Savanta. This change affects how inflation expectations for August 2026 should be interpreted.
A parallel run conducted in May shows that while public perceptions of current inflation remain unchanged at 5.0%, forward expectations are lower under Savanta than under Ipsos across one-year, two-year, and five-year horizons.
According to the survey, median inflation expectations for August 2026 are lower with Savanta compared to Ipsos: 3.6% versus 4.0% for one year ahead, 3.1% versus 3.5% for two years ahead, and 3.3% versus 3.9% for five years ahead.
The Bank of England urges caution when comparing survey results across providers and over time, citing changes in methodology and data collection impacting inflation expectation trends.