Everyone Wants a Nanny State

Annual NatCen British Social Attitudes https://natcen.ac.uk/events/british-social-attitudes-2023  survey shows alarming levels of nanny state behavior among UK population. And, unfortunately, this is not confined to the UK. It is now prevalent everywhere in the western world.

Here are some of the findings from the annual British Social Attitudes survey:

• 68% of UK taxpayers thought government should definitely "be responsible for keeping prices under control", up from 29% when the question was last asked in 2016 and highest since records began in 1985

• Record 53% of people in the UK thought the government should also definitely "be responsible for reducing income differences between the rich and poor".

Sir John Curtice, senior research fellow at the National Centre for Social Research, which runs the poll, said: "Both Conservative and Labour voters have changed their minds about the role of government and about taxation and spending over the years." 

Although still well below support among Labour voters, support for government to take on a bigger role has risen sharply among Conservative voters since 2016.

• 63% of people thought the government should be providing industries with the help they need to grow, another record high.

Voters also showed no sign of wanting a reversal of the rise in taxation and spending prompted by large government expenditure during the Covid-19 pandemic

• 55% of respondents saying taxation and spending should both go higher, up marginally from 53 per cent in 2019.

This is, and the trend for higher taxation and spending contrasts with a fall in support seen in previous periods of higher spending.

See the full report here: https://natcen.ac.uk/events/british-social-attitudes-2023  

See the article on the FT here:

https://www.ft.com/content/9b2d0a2f-cb22-4575-9d57-31977a8c5c52

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