Blog: The numbers are in – people care about looking out for each other

People in Scotland believe in a society based on justice, compassion, and equality.

I know. I’ve seen the figures.

The newest edition of the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey has found that almost half of people think government should increase taxes and spending on health, education and social benefits. Just 12% think government should reduce taxes and spending.

Let’s think about that for a minute. Even after so many people’s incomes have been stretched due to rising costs, they are still prepared to invest in strengthening the services we all rely on, and that are often a lifeline for people on the lowest incomes. Why is that?

I think the answer might lie in another bit of research. The Common Cause Foundation asked people what they valued in life.  Was it compassionate values like ‘helpfulness’, ‘equality’ and ‘protection of nature’, or more selfish values such as ‘wealth’, ‘public image’ and ‘success’.

Researchers found that a massive 74% of people place greater importance on compassionate values than selfish values. They found that to be the case irrespective of age, gender, region, or political persuasion.

I strongly believe that – in the main - people are deeply connected to the idea of looking out for each other. They care about the kind of society we live in, and they know that it’s only when we invest together, that we can build a better society and a better future.

A civilised society puts compassion and justice into action by making sure that every household has the building blocks of a decent life – a warm home, safe streets, a safe environment, an adequate income, education and training, the ability to get around easily, and to access health care and social care when we need it.

Without these things, people have less freedom to build a better future for themselves, and a better society for all of us. They have less security, and that leaves all of us insecure.

But, if people are so supportive of compassionate values, why are we living in a society with growing destitution, record child homelessness, and where our public services and social security appear to be being weakened again and again?

I think there are two reasons. The first is to do with inequality. The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey found that the growing chasm between the wealthiest households and the rest of us is a big worry for people in Scotland.

When asked about the phrase ‘Government should redistribute income from the better-off to those who are less well off’ – some 50% agreed or strongly agreed; just 23% said they disagreed, or strongly disagreed.

I've written before about how our economy has ballooned over the decades, and how we’re wealthier now as a nation than we’ve ever been. The problem is that politicians have failed to unlock that wealth to invest in the kind of decent society that people want. Instead, we’re left with growing inequality and poverty amid plenty.

The second reason is that humans can be very wary of others. The Common Cause research found a ‘perceptions gap’ among people. Even if the vast majority of us are more interested in compassionate values than selfish ones, we too often fail to recognise that in each other. Some 77% of respondents believe that their fellow citizens hold selfish values to be more important, and compassionate values to be less important.

Politicians are people too, and they are in the business of winning votes and governing. If they believe that people are selfish and don’t want to invest in our shared society, they’ll act accordingly. When organisations like The Poverty Alliance give evidence to committees of MSPs, it sometimes feels like there’s a deep cynicism about our ability to make the changes that people so badly want and need.

We know how to build a better society: better tax for better budgets, fair work, living wages, a wellbeing economy, strong social security with a minimum income guarantee, good homes, public services that meet people’s needs and aspirations, climate security, a clean .

There are no shortage of great policy ideas about how we can make that society a living reality for this generation, and all the generations to come. Our political leaders should take heart from the findings of the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, and start putting those policies into action.

They should listen to their own beliefs in compassion and justice and start building a society that we can all be proud of, beyond the injustice of poverty.

It’s what people in Scotland want.