Comment

Representation ID: 11172

Received: 24/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Richard Carter

When poverty in the UK is researched, what are considered to be the leading causes of poverty are easy to identify. They include (source: https://cpag.org.uk/ accessed 16/01/2021):
Low paid, insecure jobs.
Unemployment and constantly having to cycle between periods of work and unemployment.
High costs and inadequate benefits.
However, what is often missed (and these factors help to feed the issues identified above) are the underlying social, cultural and environmental factors that generate the negativity, dissatisfaction, disillusionment and despondency which contributes to society’s “why should I bother” attitude and which, subsequently, can also lead to self-imposed poverty, i.e. people get trapped in a rut of accepting “second best” and substandard conditions.
On the surface, many British people appear to be content with their lives, they are supportive of charities and they are willing to help when asked. Yet, beneath the surface they are constantly paddling against a tide of anger and frustration; an anger that quickly surfaces, swells and overruns a person when they are brought to task for parking right on the very corner of a busy road
junction, with the rear of their van partially blocking the main road and blocking the views of other
road users. Does that person apologise for not following the Highway Code? No! Their reaction is to chase after the person who “insulted” them, endanger other road users by swerving round pulling in front of the “culprit”, suddenly stopping dead, getting out of their vehicle and threatening physical violence.
In 2020, the United Nation’s “World Happiness Report” 2020 ranked the UK at number 13 out of 156 countries surveyed (Finland was ranked number 1) and ranked London at 36 with Helsinki taking the number 1 slot. This report analyses the results of the Gallop World Poll; which gathers feedback about a country’s Business & Economics, Citizen Engagement, Education & Families, Environment & Energy etc performance, and links this information with six other factors: levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom and corruption income.
Although the report provides an indicator of the level of happiness in the UK (the Gallop World Poll surveys approximately 12,900 people or approximately 0.02 of the current population), it may not be truly indicative of the population’s feelings as a whole; particularly if those people are totally unaware of alternative ways of life.
So what could improve the UK’s ranking in the report and peoples’ attitudes?
The primary answer to that question is to implement sustainable changes and systems that will have a positive effect on everyone’s daily life and attitude, and that will result in greater efficiencies and substantial cost savings at national and local government level. I short, implement changes that will make everyone’s life easier.