New research published by the Social Mobility Commission reveals:
- The British public are far less concerned about money and social status, than they are about financial stability and their personal well-being.
- People value physical and mental well being (95%), relationships with family and friends (94%) far more than having a high income (40%) or a professional / managerial job (26%)
- Britons also prioritise security rather than status or luxury; owning a home (70%), having savings or investments (63%) and work life balance (63%) are important to most.
- Britons see serious class divides across the nation, but they are less concerned about inequality (60%) compared to issues such as the state of the economy (90%) and the NHS (89%).
- 76% of people described themselves as being in the same class as their parents despite 74% saying that they were better off.
The Social Mobility Commission (SMC) today warns that Britain’s social mobility debate appears to be focused on the wrong problems. Its latest report – “Perceptions of Social Mobility in the UK” – shows that the public defines success in ways that differ sharply from traditional policy thinking. Findings based on a survey of around 5,300 adults across the UK demonstrate that while policymakers continue to emphasise income, professional status and “moving up the ladder”, the public has a different view of success.
For most people in the UK, success is about quality of life more than material wealth. Britons rated physical and mental well-being (95%) as the most important outcome, followed by relationships with family and friends (94%), having a good education (73%) and social connection (72%).Higher income and professional status matter, but because of what they can help to achieve, rather than as aims in their own right.
This new research suggest there is a substantial gap between these perceptions, which show what the public regard as important and the view of social mobility which has dominates debate on social mobility in Britain.
Britons define success on their own terms
Most respondents said their view of success prioritised personal wellbeing (66%) over a high paying job (40%). Income matters, but – for most – it’s not the main measure of a good life. Nearly three-quarters (70%) of respondents identified home ownership as a measure of success, while only 26% said the same of having a professional job. Taken together, the findings reveal a clearer picture of what people actually value — with stability, wellbeing and strong relationships seen as more central to success than income or status.
These findings reveal an overlooked truth about people’s attitudes towards work, progress and fulfilment, with many prioritising a sense of belonging, security and stability over prestige.
Class identity is about belonging, not income
Despite widespread financial and occupational improvement most people still identify with the same social class as their parents. 76% of people said they belonged to the same social class as their parents, yet 74% of respondents said they were better off than their parents). This suggests that, in the eyes of the British public, class is not purely an economic category but is rooted in personal identity and cultural connections.
People know inequality is real — but it’s not their top concern
Although most respondents perceive large class divides and over half (60%) are concerned about inequality, it ranks below inflation (90%), the NHS (89%) and the wider economy (90%) when people list the nation’s most urgent challenges.
Working-class respondents — those typically most directly affected by these challenges — were the least likely to cite inequality as a top concern (59% vs 61% for middle class and 73% for upper class), despite being the group most likely to believe there are large differences between social classes in the UK.
Those who identified as working class also placed less emphasis on their relative socio-economic status; just 36% of working-class respondents said ‘climbing the social ladder’ was important to them, compared with 46% of middle-class respondents and 85% of upper-class respondents.
This suggests that while inequality shapes opportunity, most working class people feel more immediately constrained by issues that affect security and daily life. Britons do not think the UK is particularly fair and they consider the gaps between classes to be large, however, they are less concerned about this than other issues.
What people see as the drivers of success
Respondents said that practical, local factors play the biggest role in helping them succeed, not elite pathways that feel remote or inaccessible. In terms of improved opportunity, the factors that most respondents linked to success include:
- Availability of apprenticeships (83%)
- job creation (82%)
- high-quality local schools (82%)
Social mobility must catch up with people’s realities
Alun Francis OBE, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, said:
The Social Mobility Commission has been arguing for some time that there is a conventional view of social mobility which is narrowly focussed on the “lucky few”. And we need definitions and measures of social mobility which are relevant to a wider variety of people and places.
The message of this research for policymakers is clear: Britain can create opportunities that allow people to advance without imposing very narrow definitions of what this looks like, or equally narrow pathways about how they should get there. We maintain that ‘one size fits all’ definitions of social mobility are making it an irrelevance for most people in the United Kingdom and our research into people’s perceptions of social mobility supports this view.