Young Britons’ attitudes hardening on crime and welfare
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UK attitudes towards benefits claimants and criminals are hardening, according to a survey that reveals younger generations’ growing discontent with the country’s “broken social contract”.
For the first time in a decade the majority of British adults believe the generosity of the welfare system stops people from supporting themselves, according to the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen).
The share who strongly agreed that less generous benefits would mean people “learn to stand on their own two feet” has surged to 23 per cent, the highest level since records began in 1987. Among young adults the share jumped from 13 per cent to 28 per cent in the past year.
The figures come alongside growing disillusionment with the Labour government’s performance, which has driven a surge in support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party on the right wing of British politics and Zack Polanski’s Greens on the left.
Luke Tryl, executive director of polling company More in Common, said there was a broad feeling of a “broken social contract” as a growing cohort of young adults felt let down by the system, giving the example of a young criminal barrister “who’s struggling to get by and still flat-sharing heading into his 30s”. This was making younger people critical of people who were “not seen to be doing their bit” and sceptical of mainstream political parties.
“There is this sense that I’ve done the things that I was supposed to do and it’s not getting me anywhere,” he said, adding that this “zero sum attitude” was no longer confined to deprived areas and had become common in focus groups with young professionals.
NatCen’s data also reveals hardening attitudes towards criminals. More than two-thirds of those aged 25-34 said offenders should be given stiffer sentences, with the share strongly agreeing jumping from 23 per cent to 34 per cent over the past year.
The latest figures come from a poll conducted from June to July 2025 of almost 2,100 people, which mirrored questions from NatCen’s long-running British Social Attitudes survey.
Despite a downward trend in violent crime, the surge in visible, lower-harm offences — such as shoplifting, phone snatching and bike theft — has increased the salience of this issue with the public as Labour tries to reform sentencing laws.
Reform UK has taken advantage of growing public concern about crime and welfare by tying it to its core issue of immigration, helping to drive a surge in the polls that has put them consistently ahead of Labour and the Conservatives.
The Green party has also gained popularity, reaching a record 31 per cent of the vote among 18- to 29-year-olds in the latest survey from pollster Find Out Now. New leader Polanski was elected in September, promising to take on “villains” such as oil major Shell and the “super-rich”.
Tryl said disillusioned younger voters, especially women, were embracing the anti-capitalist views endorsed by Polanski.
“Young people are scathing about business and the role they played in breaking the social contract, profiting from the cost of living crisis,” he added. “We’re seeing a move towards populist economics, with scepticism of people who are on benefits but also of big business.”
Additional reporting by Ella Hollowood
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