Is Britain becoming more conservative in its views?

The annual British Social Attitudes report has been published, revealing most Brits only vote because they feel ‘they have to’, while support for taxation is at its lowest since the 80s, depicting Britain at its most conservative for 20 years.

Even under a Labour government, support for the notion of wealth distribution has dropped noticeably, with fewer people feeling it necessary to redistribute money from the wealthy to the less well-off.

The report also revealed a significant decline in religious faith. More than half of the 3,000 Brits surveyed feared that the UK is “deeply divided along religious lines”, with particular reference to a concern about the Islamic faith compared with all other religions. This is in marked difference to the status of religion in America, where citizens are much less likely to be atheist or agnostic.

Perhaps a nod to a more liberal way of thinking is prevalent in the majority reaction of those surveyed who believed that ‘it makes no difference to children whether their parent are married or just living together’. Compared with other European countries, Britain is at the more tolerant end of the spectrum, however there is a notable difference between the ages in this attitude – 84% of people aged 65 and over believe that marriage is the ‘best kind of relationship’, compared with just 38% of 18-34 year olds.

Other key findings from the report include:
•    A decreased tolerance towards cannabis – 58% believe it should be classed as an illegal drug, compared with 46% in 2001.
•    Just one in ten non-religious people believe that men should be the ones to earn money, while the women should stay at home – this is compared to one in five religious people.
•    More than one third of Britons disapprove of mothers working full-time when their children are young.

The British Social Attitudes report has been published annually by social research organisation NatCen and is now in its 26th year. To find out more, visit: http://www.natcen.ac.uk/study/british-social-attitudes-26th-report/findings

Do you think this report depicts an accurate snapshot of the average Briton? Are you one of the 56% who believes that everyone should vote in an election or do you not believe it is worth voting? Please add your comment below.