Life in the UK 2024 is the latest report from Carnegie UK into the wellbeing of people in Britain. It was developed in partnership with Ipsos and based on survey responses from 6774 people earlier this year. Carnegie UK says that it shows that “the collective wellbeing of the people of the UK is stagnating with no improvement from 2023 to 2024”. Roger Higman reports.
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Life in the UK 2024 is Carnegie UK’s flagship survey of collective wellbeing in the UK. It is based on answers to twenty six questions by a representative sample of 6774 people.
Now in its second year, Life in the UK asks people about their wellbeing across four domains – social, economic, environmental and democratic. Questions cover topics such as:
- how safe do you feel walking alone in your local neighbourhood after dark?
- how much, if at all, have you personally been unfairly treated or discriminated against in the last 12 months?
- to what extent can your household afford to heat your house/go on a week’s holiday/pay an unexpected bill of £850?
- do you have major, moderate, minor or no problems with green spaces/air quality/litter or rubbish? and
- how much do you trust the UK Government, the courts, the media?
Answers to these questions are then compiled into indices of how well the UK is doing in each domain and in the round – and compared against factors like age, gender and household income.
The 2024 results make for stark reading.
Although wellbeing for many people in the UK is relatively good, the average figure masks huge inequalities. “People on lower incomes, people living in social housing, disabled people, and people living in the UK’s most deprived areas continue to experience the lowest levels of wellbeing”. This disadvantage is not just economic, but social and environmental too:
- 43% of respondents said that they had experienced discrimination over the past year – a three point increase on 2023;
- 29% said they feel unsafe or very unsafe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark;
- 17% say they don’t have anyone to rely on in their neighbourhood;
- 29% couldn’t afford an unexpected expense of £850;
- 14% can’t afford to keep their home warm and
- 11% can’t afford to socialise with friends or family outside of the home at least once a month.
Meanwhile trust in government and politics has reached a new low. Carnegie UK found that falling trust in democratic institutions is undermining the UK’s overall score and that “nearly three quarters of people in the UK feel they have no influence over decisions that impact the country”. Addressing this problem, it says, should be the new UK Government’s ‘missing mission’.
Finally, Carnegie UK notes “there is a growing movement of individuals, policymakers and institutions now highlighting why gross domestic product may be a good measure of the economy, but a poor measure of social progress”. It concludes that, if the new Government is serious about delivering the ‘plan for change’ outlined in its 2024 manifesto, it should adopt better measures to track progress across a range of outcomes.
You can download the report here.