Society: Changing face of Britain

Changes in British society are making people less trusting, putting more pressure on their time and generally making life more difficult according to a major new study.

But while we are concerned about the changes in society we are also willing to embrace even bigger changes, such as the provision of public services by private companies, if it means a return to traditional community values. A total of 81 per cent of Britons believe a job for life is a thing of the past, while 58 per cent believe life is more difficult now than in the past, according to research by the University of Leeds for the Independent Television Commission and advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather.

"There is a widespread perception that times are changing faster and faster," said Shiela Byfield, business development director of Ogilvy & Mather. "And at the same time that life is uncertain and pressured."