Public opinion is sharply divided over bonus culture in the wake of the credit crunch, according to a new opinion poll from Financial Times/Harris.

Continental Europeans believe bonuses should form a smaller part of executive pay in the future but the British and Americans are against the idea. Between 65 and 79 per cent of Germans, French, Italians and Spanish favour a smaller role for bonuses. But only about a third of people in the US and UK support such a move, with about the same number opposing it.