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Research reveals that fewer people think the UK government should spend more money on the poor

How will the UK end indigenous child poverty by its deadline of 2020 when most people think this is not the government's responsibility? This is one of several concerns uncovered by Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby in analysing a survey carried out by NatCen on changing perceptions of social justice.

Professor Taylor-Gooby, a member of the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR) at the University of Kent, has used national survey data from the British Social Attitudes report to show that the proportion of people who think the government should spend more on benefits for the poor has fallen from over half to under a third since the late 1980s, and that people in the UK are becoming less inclined to see helping vulnerable groups as the business of government.

Other findings from related focus group work on fairness and social spending reveal:

- a strong ambiguity to the impact of immigration on social spending. While the contribution to the work-force is recognised, there is a widespread view that immigration imposes burdens on the welfare state. However, middle class people are more likely to see immigrants as net contributors and working class people to see them as taking more out than they put in;

- a division in ideas about what counts as fairness. For example, middle class people are more likely to assent to the agenda of 'equality of opportunity' while working class people are more likely to see fairness in terms of 'equality of outcome'.

The national survey was conducted across England, Wales and Scotland and the focus groups in London and Birmingham.

Professor Taylor-Gooby said: 'People are now more inclined to think that people should take responsibility for their own lives and not rely on support from government. This will make it increasingly difficult for the government to gain support for its policies to cut poverty.'

The results of Professor Taylor-Gooby's research are published in the National Centre for Social Research's British Social Attitudes: 24th Report, published on Wednesday 23 January 2008.

A more detailed summary of research findings and background is available upon request.

Contact: mediaoffice@kent.ac.uk

Story published at 12:43pm 24 January 2008