One Society summary of 'Inequality in the UK' report

Submitted by Kathryn Busby on 27 January 2010

Here is the One Society summary of the National Equality Panel report published today.

One Society is a new campaign, set up in association with The Equality Trust, to highlight the negative effects of income inequality, showcase research and policy solutions, and bring together people and organisations in support of a more equal society.

For a longer summary please visit the One Society facebook page.

Key Findings from National Equality Panel report:
'An Anatomy of Economic Inequality in the UK'

Inequality matters - it effects the quality of our lives, the health of our economy and the state of the communities that we live in. (piii)

Inequality is not inevitable - modern economies & societies can be managed differently. (p3)

Inequality does not make us more economically successful - you can have growth without being so unequal. (p3)

Inequality damages our ability to form sustaining friendships and strong communities, as well as just suppressing our individual potential (p3)

Inequality makes us less happy and less well - and that has social and economic costs for society as a whole. (p3)

Inequality acts as a barrier to social mobility. (p4)

Inequality cannot be explained as simply the wrong choices or behaviours of individuals - there is a strong background of inequality of opportunity behind everything. (p4)

Inequality is something which most people are unaware of the scale of. This lack of awareness runs through society, from rich to poor, and acts as a constraint on any policies designed to contribute to reducing inequality. (p31)

Inequality shapes people's life chances literally from cradle to grave. (p31)

Inequality cannot be tackled simply by looking at the differences in opportunities between the very top and bottom of society. Action is also needed to address inequality between those who are quite well-off and those who are below the average, but not at the bottom. (p31-32)

Inequality is not an insurmountable challenge - public policy can and does make a difference. (p32)

Inequality could be further entrenched by our response to the recession - will the costs of recovery be borne by those who gained least in the period before the crisis, or by those who gained most, and are in the strongest position to bear them? (p35)

Inequality's effects are still not fully known - many people have still only had half their careers within this more unequal world. (p35)

Inequality means it matters more in Britain who your parents are than in many other countries. Intergenerational mobility appears lower in more unequal societies such as ours (p36)

Equality of opportunity is very difficult to achieve without real improvements in income and wealth equality. Resources - and greater equality of resources - do matter. (p36)

NB. page numbers refer to pages to the summary of the 'An Anatomy of Inequality in the UK' report, rather than the full report itself.