Almost half of young people believe that they are still held back by their background when it comes to getting on in life, according to new research from the relaunched Social Mobility Commission.
Just 15 per cent of 18-to-24-year olds were positive about their upwards social mobility while 13 per cent and 12 per cent believed their generation would have the best standard of living and personal finances respectively. The survey also found that three quarters of Brits think that there is a large gap between the social classes. And that feeling is particularly prevalent in the north-east of England, where 83 per cent spoke of a chasm between the lower and upper classes. This compares to 73 per cent in the South East and Midlands.
Martina Milburn, our new chair, is addressing our launch. Pushing for sustainable change is the most important thing. Child poverty, further education, soft skills, disability and their links with social mobility are all key issues for the new commission to really explore. pic.twitter.com/0lHEjnPLra
— Social Mobility Commission (@SMCommission) December 11, 2018
Today’s Social Mobility Commission relaunch coincided with the release of the Social Mobility Barometer 2018 – a YouGov report that polled over 5,000 people and painted a dim view of social mobility in the UK.
The governmental group has lay dormant for a year after former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn called it quits alongside the remaining board members, citing government inaction.
In that time, Justine Greening, who is co-sponsoring John Bird’s Creditworthiness Assessment Bill through the House of Commons, has launched her own Social Mobility Pledge to fight the corner for disadvantaged youngsters in the jobs market.