THE public believe that the UK is more divided than 10 years ago, and that this is holding us back from tackling key issues such as poverty and climate change, a YouGov poll for Oxfam has found.
Just over two weeks since the General Election, Britons are calling for the nation to be more united – as over 72 per cent say the UK is more divided than a decade ago and more than two thirds (69 per cent) believe more should be done to improve relations between people across the nation.
The poll found over 78 per cent of the 2,111 adults surveyed believe divisions in society are impacting progress on UK poverty, while over half (51 per cent) agree divisions are affecting progress on climate change.
Almost half (45 per cent) of Brits said they believe progress around tackling global poverty is impacted by divisions in society, while more than two-thirds (71 per cent) said divisions are impacting on progress on racial equality in the UK.
When thinking about how divided or united society is, nearly half of British people (47 per cent) said they feel ‘concerned’, while 42 per cent feel ‘disheartened’ and 31 per cent ‘frustrated’ – compared to just seven per cent who felt optimistic – showing there is a clear call for action to unite the country.
Halima Begum, Oxfam’s chief executive, said: “For some time now, people across the country have seen the damage done when divisions and discord are played up in society, while issues like poverty, inequality and climate change loom large.
“Oxfam’s survey shows that individuals and communities want to come together, to unite in rejecting the contrived rhetoric of ‘them and us’ that’s been used to divide society for far too long. If we could focus on tackling inequalities and injustices effectively, I’ve no doubt this would help create a kinder, fairer world for us all.
“Certainly at Oxfam, we know from our own experience working with communities around the world that ending inequality in all its forms is vital to ensuring everyone can live harmoniously. We hope this poll will invigorate the new government to heal those divisions that exist in our communities by focusing their efforts on the substantive issue of tackling poverty, inequality and the climate crisis.”
When asked to identify three of the best ways to unite the country, the top three answers from those surveyed included believing politicians and public figures should limit the divisive language they use in order to best unite the country (32 per cent), believing the nation should be “more open and tolerant towards everyone in society” (43 per cent) and having less divisive media organisations (35 per cent).
The survey results come as Oxfam launches a drive to promote a more united society in order to create a fairer world. It is calling on the new Government to act on its calls to unite the country so they can deliver on poverty and climate change by ensuring fast and fair action on climate justice and supporting a global economic system that tackles inequality and builds a fairer UK economy.
Halima Begum said: “Following the election, the new Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, vowed that the “era of culture wars is over” and that the government will work to create a less divisive society.
“Oxfam calls on the government to deliver on its promise to unite our country by tackling poverty and inequality, and move our communities away from the contrived era of ‘them and us’. Let’s be clear: there is no them, just us.”
* Read the full report, There is no them, just us: Ending the system of poverty for us all here.
* Source: Oxfam UK