Share and Follow
An extensive global survey has revealed that Britons are among the most discontented populations when it comes to 50 years of ‘progress.’ A significant portion believes people were happier and more secure in the previous century, with many expressing a wish they had been born in earlier times.
According to research by Ipsos, the majority of Britons feel the nation was more jovial half a century ago, with only a small fraction believing conditions have improved. Around 63 percent in the UK concurred with the sentiment, “All things considered, how would you describe things in your country today, compared with 50 years ago, in 1975?”—a stark contrast to the mere 12 percent who feel people are happier in 2025.
The UK’s level of dissatisfaction outstrips the global average of 55 percent who perceive their countries as happier in the past century. Only a few nations showed greater levels of discontent. France topped the list, with 70 percent of its population nostalgic for the 1970s, while only five percent disagreed.
The perception of regression isn’t limited to happiness; safety is another area where Britons believe the nation has backpedaled. Ipsos discovered that 60 percent think the country was safer in 1975, compared to just 17 percent who feel it is safer now. Many expressed a preference for being born in the 1970s over the 2020s, and even within Gen Z, opinions were nearly split, with just slightly more favoring the present.
Though it might be easy to attribute these sentiments to the rose-tinted memories of youth rather than a clear-eyed view of decline, Ipsos noted that the vast majority of today’s Britons weren’t even alive in 1975. A spokesperson for the pollster stated the findings indicate a “widespread dissatisfaction with the current direction of our country.” However, the report did not address the potential influence of recency bias on the results.
While it may be tempting to blame nostalgia of a dimly-remembered childhood for these notions rather than a clear-eyed appreciation of decline, Ipsos noted in its review that the vast majority of people in Britain weren’t even born in 1975. The pollster said through a spokesman that the results reflects a “widespread dissatisfaction with the current direction of our country”. Nevertheless, the pollster made no remark in their statistical release about the potential impact of recency bias.
This dissatisfaction extends to more than domestic issues, the research found. Amid the Ukraine war, conflict in the Middle East, and a looming potential war in the Asia-Pacific, respondents worldwide feel there is more fear of “war or conflict” today than in 1975, during the Cold War. This sentiment was even more pronounced in the UK, where a clear 44 per cent think there was less risk of war 50 years ago, compared to just 16 per cent who think 2025 is safer.
The Ipsos research is just the latest in a veritable avalanche of polls in recent weeks pointing to a very deep sense of unease and dissatisfaction among Britons. As previously reported, a study by a London University found a clear majority of Britons believe the country is “divided”, with a massive 86 per cent saying there is tension between “immigrants and people born in the UK”. Half of voters say they think the country is changing too fast, and more said than not that the country should be put back to “the way it used to be”.
Much discontent appears to revolve around the migration issue. Another poll found most Britons agreed that “We risk losing our national identity if we are too open to people from all over the world”, that “It is bad for society if white people decline as a share of the population”, and that “society is weakened by being made up of many different races, ethnicities, and religions”.
Earlier this week, even more research said Britons were overwhelmingly in favour of what would amount to mass deportations. Brexit leader Nigel Farage observed of the findings that “the centre is moving very rapidly” and said “all of this indicates the public have just had enough”.
