Young adults most pessimistic on UK social mobility – poll

People aged 18 to 24 are the most pessimistic in the UK, with just one in seven thinking their age group has the most opportunity to move up in society, according to a poll.

Just 13% of 18- to 24-year-olds believe their generation will go on to enjoy the best standard of living, and 12% believe they will be better off financially than older generations.

The YouGov poll of more than 5,000 people was published on Tuesday to coincide with the launch of the government’s newly reformed Social Mobility Commission under the leadership of the new chair, Dame Martina Milburn.

Milburn said the findings revealed no progress from a similar poll in 2017. “Last year it revealed a divided ‘us and them’ society and deep pessimism among the young. This year there is little different, with widespread concern that things are getting worse.”

Milburn was appointed after her predecessor, Alan Milburn, and his colleagues resigned en masse in protest at what he described as the government’s lack of progress on social mobility. He later accused ministers of lacking both the ability and willingness to deliver on “the crunch issue for our country” when confronted with the onerous demands of Brexit.

The latest poll reveals once again deep unease in Britain about the gap between the wealthy and the poor. It also reflects concerns that the government, employers and schools are not doing enough to help the less advantaged get a fair chance.

Nearly half of those polled (46%) said where a person ended up in society was largely determined by who their parents were, compared with a third (33%) who said everyone had a fair chance to get on regardless of background.

Four out of 10 (40%) said it was becoming harder for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to move up in society, and more than half of respondents said the government should be doing more to improve social mobility.

A fifth (20%) of 18- to 24-year-olds believe they have a better level of job security compared with their parents, and 18% say they have better job satisfaction. Just 22% of those aged 25-49 think their housing situation is better than that of their parents.

Three-quarters of those who took part in the poll (75%) said there was a large gap between social classes in Britain, and 30% said the gap was “very large”, compared with 14% who said it was small.

“This is a wake-up call for government and the rest of society alike,” said Martina Milburn. “That is why we are relaunching the Social Mobility Commission with a renewed focus on improving social mobility and driving real action across sectors.

“We all need to do more to tackle these issues, but there needs to be renewed focus from government, educators and employers.”

The SMC has 12 new commissioners, three of whom are under 23 in the hope of better representing young people. The government has allocated an additional £2m to fund new research from next April.

Saeed Atcha, 22, one of the new commissioners and the founder of the magazine Xplode, said: “I believe there is always a need to have young voices at the table so I’m thrilled to be representing young people and bringing their voice to the fore. The poll shows they are pessimistic about their future and they do not have the right opportunities. It’s vital that we take urgent steps to address this.”

Damian Hinds, the education secretary, said: “Whilst potential and talent is evenly spread, the opportunities to make the most of it sometimes aren’t, which is why the work the Social Mobility Commission do is so important and why we are investing £2m to expand its research and spread good practice.”