While we’re constantly told different, we Brits still trust and get along with each other

If we believe everything we see and hear, it would be easy to believe Britain and the British live in fear of the ‘Other’. Be it Brexit, immigration, terrorism or any other social ill, the white noise contributed to by certain politicians, sections of the media and vitriolic commentators is one where we necessarily clutch our handbags, constantly look over our shoulders, and avoid dark alleyways in pursuit of remaining safe and secure. Far removed from the old adage, you can no longer leave your front door open or your back door unlocked — the quintessential British measure of whether society is safe or unsafe, good or bad, and so on. Far removed are we today from the nostalgic, rose-tinted Britain many will have us not only believe but so too long for.

But are things really that different in today’s Britain?

Not if this the findings from this year’s British Social Attitudes Survey is anything to go by. Published this week — albeit lost in the news storm about England’s semi final defeat, Trump’s unwelcome defeat and Boris Johnson’s resignation among others - the Survey suggests that our trust in others including strangers has remained constant for pretty much the last 30 to 40 years.

The Survey rightly noted how this seemingly sits at odds with popular and political discourse. As it went on, given that ordinary people trust each other in much the same way they have for decades, so too can can it be inferred that we continue to get along with each other in much the same way. While we can’t overlook the fact that hate crime levels have dramatically increased in recent years and that there seem to be more individuals and organisations seeking social traction for their divisive and xenophobic messages, what is important is that it would seem that for the majority of us, there has been little change in how we view, engage and interact with each other.

And it is very difficult to dismiss the Survey’s findings out of hand. Carried out annually since 1983, the British Social Attitudes Survey is the country’s longest running survey. Having taken into account the views of near 100,000 people to date, it affords a unique lens through which to understand and map the views and opinions of ordinary British people about what it’s like to live in Britain and how Britain is run.

As regards improving trust and how we get along, the Survey offers some further insights. As it notes, this is most effectively achieved through making social connections especially those that have a leisure, sport or cultural core (Gareth Southgate was right). Same too through broadening our social networks and the people we engage and interact with. Somewhat surprisingly, the Survey finds that voluntary, charitable and political activities are less effective and do not necessarily result in higher levels of trust. As it puts it, doing things with others as opposed for others is far more impacting and thereby meaningful. The findings therefore cast doubt on the effectiveness of Governmental initiatives such as the Big Society and National Citizenship Service.

More damming though is the Survey’s finding that without addressing Britain’s endemic socio-economic differences and the ensuing inequalities catalysed, there will be little significant improvement in the trust we show towards each other and consequently, how we get along. This too sits in stark contrast to the Government’s recently published Integrated Communities Strategy Green Paper. Largely regurgitating the community cohesion agenda that emerged following inter-ethnic disturbances in the north of England around the turn of the century, the blame for a perceived lack of cohesion and integration — of getting on with each other — was placed squarely on minority communities and those at the lowest end of the socio-economic scale. Preferring to easily blame ‘them’, the Green Paper — like numerous Governmental reports before it — failed to acknowledge the detrimentally causal impact of poverty, deprivation and inequality. As I’ve noted previously, if we really wanted to improve how we get on then it is these issues and their underlying causes that have to be prioritised, something politicians are knowingly aware of but always reluctant to do.

Against a backdrop of ongoing political ineptitude — evident in the latest episode of the Brexit soap opera — it is highly likely the findings from the British Social Attitudes Survey will continue to go unnoticed. Given the findings challenge the myths perpetuated by certain politicians and others, this is a shame. It is especially so given the political climate and the overarching desire to return to a wholly Utopian and mythologised past when everything was ‘Great’ on our little island. Taking time to remember that the vast majority of us still trust and get along with each other in much the same way we always have is comforting in this respect.

FYI leaving your front door open or back door unlocked has never been a good idea. Just saying.