New polling published today by the Sutton Trust reveals strong
public support across the political spectrum for the idea that
all young people should have equal opportunities, regardless of
background. 9 in 10 agree this is important and the same
proportion say it is important to level the playing field and
improve social mobility in the UK.
The survey of over 2,000 adults, conducted by More in Common for
the Sutton Trust, reveals that a large majority believe it is the
Government's role to ensure fair access to educational (81%) and
job opportunities (69%). When asked why the Government should
focus on this, the most commonly chosen reason (79%) was to make
the most of everyone's talents to help the economy grow.
The polling shows high levels of public support for policies that
the Sutton Trust says would improve opportunities for young
people and increase social mobility. 87% agree that the
government should provide financial support for students while at
university and over half (53%) want to see maintenance grants
brought back for students from low-income households. At present,
student maintenance loans do not cover essential living costs for
the majority of students, and those from poorer backgrounds
graduate with the biggest debts.
Likewise, just over half (52%) think access to pre-school or
nursery should be free, in the same way that school is. A further
third (31%) believe this provision should be paid for but
affordable, so that the majority of children can attend. Less
than one in ten believe pre-school access is a luxury that should
be determined by parents' ability to pay. As things stand, the
vast majority of families in the bottom third of incomes are not
eligible for the existing provision of 30 hours state-funded
early years provision for three- and four-year-olds, with the
Government's planned expansion to two-year olds set to exacerbate
inequalities.
Overall, the public believes that access to opportunity is
currently unequal. 83% say the gap between social classes is
either quite big or very big, with 44% believing it is bigger now
than 50 years ago. The majority say that children from richer
families get better opportunities in school (62%), in pre-school
education (59%) at universities (62%) and in jobs (54%),
especially professions such as accountancy, law or medicine
(61%). Over half (53%) think that – regardless of talent and hard
work – some have a better chance of buying a home than others,
rising to 64% among 18-24 year olds.
The public believe the main barriers to succeeding in life are a
lack of opportunities where you live (30%), lack of access to
good education (29%), a poor work ethic (29%), the state of the
UK economy (28%) and lack of self-belief (26%). While the public
have strong faith in hard work, with 93% saying it is important
in helping you get on in life, 78% also think it is important to
know the right people and 68% to come from a wealthy family.
Three in four people who went to university say that people like
them have a good chance of succeeding in life, but only half as
many people without GCSEs say the same. Those in Scotland are the
most optimistic (73%) about the chances of succeeding in life for
people like them, while those in the West Midlands (49%) are the
least optimistic. Those who identify themselves as being upper
middle class are significantly more optimistic about this than
those who are working class (76% vs 56%).
In a new report published alongside the polling, the Sutton Trust
has called for the next government to prioritise policies that
will improve opportunities for young people and boost social
mobility. Fair opportunity for all sets out a range of
costed policies from birth to the workplace. The social mobility
charity says that the most urgent priorities should be equalising
access to early years education, closing the attainment gap in
schools between disadvantaged pupils and their peers and
increasing financial support for students, with maintenance
grants reintroduced for those from low-income families.
Sir Peter Lampl, Founder of the Sutton Trust and Founder
of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:
“For too long, successive governments have failed to increase
opportunities for low- and moderate-income young people. As a
result, there is a yawning gap in attainment between the well-off
and their less affluent peers, which is the main reason we have
low and declining social mobility in this country. The public
clearly wants this to change and the next government needs to get
on board and make it happen. Otherwise, the gap between the haves
and the have-nots will continue to widen, wasting the talent of
so many young people and threatening the country's future
prosperity.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
- This research was carried out by More in Common on behalf of
the Sutton Trust and comprised quantitative research in the form
of a survey of 2,075 adults, conducted between 23rd
and 27thFebruary 2024 across a sample of people in
England, Scotland and Wales, drawn from a panel of over 2.8
million adults.
- Responses were weighted and allocated to be representative of
the country's population based on age, gender, race, voting
intention, region, and education level.
- More in Common is a member of the British Polling Council and
follows its rules on the publication and transparency of polling
data. The data tables will be available on More in Common's
website: https://www.moreincommon.org.uk/our-work/polling-tables/
