Britons tend to say society rewards good fortune more than hard work
We saw yesterday that there is only one significant area in which Labour leads the Conservatives: by 39 per cent to 15 per cent, Labour is regarded as "more concerned about the lives of ordinary people". How important is this?
Recent qualitative work I conducted for Red Box showed that when people were asked what their preferred party most stood for, it was (whichever the party) standing up for "people like me", or "ordinary people", or "the common man". "Fairness" is what most people want.
Underlying this is an attitude well expressed by today's exclusive YouGov poll for Red Box. We asked: "Thinking about the factors that lead to one achieving success in British society, do you think success is more a result of effort (working hard and being responsible) or good fortune (having a good background and connections)?"
Thirty-seven per cent said "good fortune" versus 24 per cent who opted for "effort".
