"Britons less willing to pay taxes to help others" - The BBC

drc

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16064988

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8939755/Social-Attitudes-research-Britons-lose-sympathy-for-unemployed-as-they-become-more-self-reliant.html

Rinoa

Britons are less willing than ever to pay higher taxes to support the National Health Service, schools or the environment, a new survey suggests.
The National Centre for Social Research's 28th annual British Social Attitudes report also found increasing numbers blaming poverty on "laziness".

The BBC's Home Editor Mark Easton said it was a move towards "more emphasis on individual responsibility".He said Britons were becoming increasingly "judgmental".

Mr Easton told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The proportion who think we should pay (more) taxes to improve health and education and social benefits is only 30% in England, 40% in Scotland. A decade ago it was 60% in both nations."
The survey suggested 54% believed social security benefits were too high and discouraged people from finding jobs, up from 35% in 1983 when the study was first carried out.

Of the 3,297 people questioned this year, 63% believed parents who "don't want to work" were to blame for children living in poverty.

Surprising that fewer people want to pay for NHS.

Understandable that most believe we've lost our way with benefits.

Wookster

Maybe this is because of widely documented misuse of benefits and the sheer scale of wastage inherent in government spending.

Most people don't mind paying taxes if they can see their money is being treated carefully.

It is abundantly clear that the last government did not, and the jury is out on the current one.