Looked at through the prism of politics and the headline that the British are more conservative could just about hold water. The new British Social Attitudes Survey has found that the British are less inclined to support redistribution or other forms of economic collectivism and are more tolerant of lifestyles considered deviant a generation ago.
Only two in five want more spending on public services such as health and education, the lowest level since 1984. The same proportion want greater redistribution of income from rich to poor compared with more than half of the public in 1994.
The survey, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, found that sympathy towards the unemployed and other welfare claimants has also diminished. More people believe that benefits prevent people “standing on their own two feet”, with only one in four disagreeing. That compares with half the population disagreeing in the 1980s. There has also been an increase in those who feel that many on welfare do not deserve payments.
In terms that we understand the British have shifted towards a more liberal or libertarian mindset. Presented with the evidence of the New Labour years, they are far more sceptical of governmental action and far less forgiving of tax rises. There is no distinction between the orientation of their economic and social values except that imposed by political journalists.
The Tories will feel aggrieved that their socially liberal outlook, developing from the libertarian struggles of the 1980s, is not recognised; but optimistic that they are more 'in tune' with general attitudes.