Erosion of social solidarity
Alongside views of inequality and policy solutions, we have tracked social solidarity in Britain over the past 12 months. The overall picture is one of an erosion of a sense of social solidarity over time, as the shared experience of COVID has lifted and cost of living has started to bite. In September, 60 per cent of the public agreed with the statement ‘it’s everyone for themselves’ - the highest agreement we have recorded since the start of the tracker, and a 15-point swing away from the view ‘we look after each other’ since June 2021. These trends perhaps reflect that when times are tough, people become more individualist and less communitarian.
Cost of living rises do not affect the population evenly. When presented with a list of actions and lifestyle changes – ranging from ‘cutting down on luxuries’ and ‘shopping around more for my groceries’ to ‘I’ve fallen behind on paying my bills or rent’ and ‘I’ve used a foodbank’ - 15 per cent of Britons say they have done ‘none of the above’ or ‘ I don’t think I need to take any actions’ in response to the rising cost of living – including almost a third (30 per cent) of those aged 65 and over. That compares to just 7 per cent of those aged under 45.
This may reflect, as highlighted by the Resolution Foundation7, that in recent years, the median disposable income after housing of over-65s for the first time now exceeds that of other age cohorts. Perhaps as a result, a greater proportion of that age cohort, see the rising cost of living as less of a pressing concern.
Again, generational dynamics are at play when ‘tackling the cost of living’ is balanced against priorities. Whereas those under 65, by an over 2:1 margin, say helping people cope with the rising cost of living is more important than tackling NHS waiting lists, those aged 65+ narrowly disagree. Similarly, ‘improving social care for the elderly’ is also prioritised by them by a 41-point margin, despite the cost of living being chosen by a 2:1 margin in the other age groups.
This makes sense, in the context that those issues may personally affect their wellbeing just as much, if not more than rising prices. However, the fact they narrowly prioritise 'reducing illegal immigration' over 'helping people cope with the rising cost of living' – despite the rest of the population disagreeing by a 69 to 24 per cent margin – suggests that cost of living is not an issue which significantly affects the majority of them.
