This year’s Social Mobility Barometer gives a clear message to the new Government. It shows that more than half of people feel that government does not give enough support to those who are struggling or to the least well off. It should be doing much more both at national and local level, they say. The Barometer is an annual survey of around 5,000 people from across the nation. People’s own experiences and perceptions can often give a sharper insight than research and statistics.
Last year it exposed deep pessimism among young people about their futures and a feeling that it was becoming harder for those from working class backgrounds to get on in life.
This year it reveals stark regional differences in attitudes to social mobility – as those in the North, the Midlands and the South West feel more left out. Whilst 78 per cent of respondents in London felt there were good opportunities for people to progress in their region, only 31 per cent did in the North East, 37 per cent in Wales, and 47 per cent in the South West.