Snapshots of insecurity: an exploration of personal values and economic insecurity in 2021

Britain is divided. We often hear of a new gap in our shared values, and of a widening inequality. But new analysis from the RSA shows that there is consensus on some issues – like giving citizens a greater voice, tackling climate change, and reducing regional inequalities.

Through fresh data analysis, we have created seven ‘snapshots’ of insecurity in the UK – showing that much of the public faces extreme precarity, and others, financial stability.

Our three insecure groups have issues unique to them: the progressive working class - deep-seated money worries and a perceived lack of opportunity in their surroundings; the discontented right - concerns about job security and a lack of agency in the workplace; and in the metropolitan precariat - over-work, and fluctuations in regular pay.

In response, we are calling for the government to act: to retain the uplift in universal credit, provide greater protections for good work, and to devolve employment and welfare policy.