Social Mobility In Context
Where will the resources come from to tackle the inequality exposed by the pandemic
If we are to build a political system that thinks of the future first, whilst dealing with the present-day challenges, social mobility must inevitably be a key focus. During the 2019 general election my old boss Boris Johnson coined the term Levelling Up. My opinion both now and at the time was that though Levelling Up was in many ways not new (check Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine initiatives for a start) it was fine to send a signal that tackling regional inequalities was a priority. Having said that, inequality is not evenly spread across regions. Just ask the families of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire and they’ll explain to you why they did not feel very privileged. A term that I think better affords nuance is social mobility.
Public opinion regarding social mobility is of increased importance in the modern era, as the perception of societal opportunities can dictate career path, future prospects and everyday decisions. Given the exponential rise in attitudes towards comparative wealth, redistributionism, and institutional barriers to opportunity, what the public think should be of considerable value.
These issues are regularly examined by the Social Mobility Commission, an independent governmental body who publishes a ‘Barometer’ report on a regular basis. In 2021, the report included the views of 4,693 adults undertaken online through YouGov and incorporated several criteria: age, gender, political orientation, region, social grade, education level, and votes in both the 2016 EU referendum and the 2019 General Election. Utilising these fields, a number of key areas of analysis were formed, notably the Covid-19 pandemic, regionality and generational differences.
Predictably, a majority of 56% of people felt that the pandemic has increased inequality in Britain and that it is the most prominent factor in deteriorating mental health. Whilst the majority of people believe that the impact of the virus was spread evenly in the UK, those in the North of England were most likely to be adversely affected in terms of education and employment. 33% of those from this region perceive their living standards to be disproportionately affected, which was the highest in the UK.
One of the more conspicuous findings is that there were sizable differences of opportunities across Britain – an opinion shared in all 12 regions that were surveyed. The scale of the problem can be seen when evaluating that the lowest result in agreement with this statement across Britain was 68%, reported in the East Midlands. That this is evident within the fabric of society is alarming and demonstrates the urgent need to address regional imbalances.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Future-proof Politics to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.