Sutton Trust · 2024
This research brief reports on a nationwide survey and focus groups exploring British public perceptions of social inequality and social mobility in 2024. The findings reveal that 83% of the public believe there is a large class gap in Britain, and that most people see educational and job opportunities as unfairly distributed by family wealth. Young people aged 18–24 were particularly pessimistic, with 50% saying it is harder to move from working class to middle class today and 57% saying it is harder for young people to succeed than it was for older generations. There is widespread public support for government intervention to equalise access to education and employment opportunities, including free early years provision and the reintroduction of maintenance grants.