A report examined the consequences for the European Union of global social trends. It identified relevant trends that included: a new global middle class; population growth and ageing; employment and the labour market; and migration. It said many trends were uncertain and would be influenced by external factors. It outlined how the analysis could inform the ongoing work of the European Union.
Source: Stijn Hoorens, Jeremy Ghez, Benoit Guerin, Daniel Schweppenstedde, Tess Hellgren, Veronika Horvath, Marlon Graf, Barbara Janta, Sam Drabble, and Svitlana Kobzar, Europe s Societal Challenges: An analysis of global societal trends to 2030 and their impact on the EU, RAND Corporation
Links: Report | Summary | Rand press release
Date: 2013-Dec
The 2013 British Social Attitudes Survey report was published. The annual survey tracked people's changing social, political, and moral attitudes. In 2012, 51 per cent of respondents said that social security benefits were too high, compared with 62 per cent in 2011. The proportion of people who believed that benefit cuts would damage too many people's lives rose to 47 per cent, from 42 per cent in 2011.
Source: Alison Park, Caroline Bryson, Elizabeth Clery, John Curtice, and Miranda Phillips (eds), British Social Attitudes 30: 2013 Edition, National Centre for Social Research
Links: Report | Key findings | NatCen press release | BHA press release | IPPR blog post | JRF blog post | BBC report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report | New Statesman report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the drivers behind attitudes to demographic behaviour in Europe (such as postponement of childbearing, cohabitation replacing marriage, and increased divorce). There were large differences across countries, and economic development was a strong predictor for modern attitudes. However, attitudes towards demographic behaviour correlated with many other country-specific characteristics, some challenging popular wisdom in the demography literature.
Source: Arnstein Aassve, Maria Sironi, and Vittorio Bassi, 'Explaining attitudes towards demographic behaviour', European Sociological Review, Volume 29 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar