1 what’s fair? the public’s view 10th october 2009 penny young chief executive national centre...

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What’s fair? The public’s view10th October 2009

Penny YoungChief ExecutiveNational Centre for Social Research

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Today’s session

To offer the public perspective on:

• What would a “fair” society look like?• How does society match up against this ideal?• What principles do people use when thinking about fairness?

Drawing on:• British Social Attitudes 2009• Joseph Rowntree Foundation /Fabian Society• Equality and Human Rights Commission/NatCen

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What would a fair society look like?

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The importance of equality of opportunity

“In a fair society, every person should have an equal opportunity to get ahead”

94%agree

Source: British Social Attitudes Survey/NatCen 2009

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What shape should society be?

Elite at the top, few in the

middle, great mass of people at the bottom

A pyramid: a small elite at

the top, more in the middle, most at the

bottom

A pyramid, except that

just a few are at the bottom

Most people in the middle

Many near the top and only a few near the

bottom

1% 7% 16% 58% 15%


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Is society fair?

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What shape is our society?

14% 39% 20% 20% 3%

1% 7% 16% 58% 15%

Should be…

Is…


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Opportunities and outcomes

72%agree

Outcome. “Differences in income in Britain are too large"

79%agree

Opportunity. “Children from better-off families have many more opportunities than children from less well-off families”


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Pay differentials are considered too high….

Is paid? Should be paid….

Unskilled factory worker

13K 16K

Chairman of large company

200K 100K

Ratio of chairman to

factory worker 15 x 6 x


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…and believed to be widening

Ratio of chairman’s pay to

factory worker

1987 1999 2009

Is…. 10x 12.5x 15x

Should be… 5x 6x 6x


So:• People want equality of opportunity• A society in which most people are “in the middle”• And they think we’re a long way short of this.

……….Or do they?

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People aren’t in favour of government tackling income inequality head on

72%agree

“Differences in income in Britain are too large”

Yet….

35%agree

“Government should redistribute income from the better off to those who are less well off”

(A figure that has fallen steadily since the beginning of the 1990s)


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People think society is a pyramid….but most place themselves in the middle

Middle 51%

Upper half 18%

Top 2%

Lower half 22%

Bottom 4%


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People say opportunity is important – but so is individual responsibility% agreeing factor is essential or very important

for getting ahead in life……

Hard work84%say

Ambition71%say


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There is much less emphasis on privilege

% agreeing factor is essential or very importantfor getting ahead in life……

Wealthy family12%say

Well educatedparents

30%say


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And no emphasis on questions of identity

% agreeing factor is essential or very importantfor getting ahead in life……

Ethnicity7%say

Religion8%say

Gender7%say


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(Comparable with the importance of ambition – less important than hard work)

Although note that education is seen as very important

“Education is essential or very importantfor getting ahead in life”

73%


So:• People believe society to be unequal both in

opportunity and outcome • At the same time, they think hard work and

ambition, coupled with education, outweigh

privilege • And people do not appear to favour ‘redistribution’

– although this is an over simplistic interpretation

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What’s really driving attitudes to fairness?

What explains some of the apparent contradictions?

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There’s a tendency to explain away inequalities…

Fabian Society work has found:

• Tendency to justify the virtues of those with high incomes –ability, performance, contribution to society.

• Although some questioning following financial crisis

Source: Fabian Society: Is Equality Fair? 2009

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And an initial tendency to negative attitudes towards the less well off“There is enough opportunity for

virtually everyone to get on in life if they really want to. It comes down to the individual and how much you are motivated”

69%agree

25%agree

“Most people who receive benefits now will make a contribution back to society in the future, through activities like employment or caring for others”

Although, painting a picture of what life is really like for the less well off can make a difference

Source: Fabian Society: Is Equality Fair? 2009

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Ambivalence about how fairness works:

Common view that Britain is largely fair - certainly compared with many other countries.

Things like the NHS cited as examples of Britain’s essential fairness.

But for some, a view that Britain is unfair in particular ways - particularly in areas such as immigration, the benefit system.

And hence – for some - ‘too fair’.

Source: Building Understanding of Fairness, Equality and Good Relations EHRC/NatCen – Not yet published

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In conclusion: drawing together themes

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Key themes

• There are real concerns about inequalities in our society, and perceptions of widening income inequality

• But at the same time, a tendency to believe that individuals can overcome these inequalities

• And a tendency to justify inequalities with a notion of deserved inequalities

• There is a perceived role for government in reducing inequality, but some disquiet among some about the realities of this.

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Some challenges?

• Developing a commonly accepted set principles about ‘what’s fair’

• Getting beyond the surface view – the tendency to explain away inequalities

• Understanding the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable inequality

• A final thought:

“I start from the premise that life isn’t fair” (Woman, 65+, England - EHRC/NatCen)

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Thank youwww.natcen.ac.uk

1 what’s fair? the public’s view 10th october 2009 penny young chief executive national centre...

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