Discuss the poll at First Drafts, Prospect ’s website
It seems that we Brits are in a deep funk—even by our habitually glum standards. Prospect asked pollsters YouGov to gauge views about the current slump. Astonishingly, more than one third of respondents predicted riots similar to those sparked in Greece in December, with 37 per cent agreeing that “there will be serious social unrest in British cities,” requiring the army to restore order. Older citizens—those with the longest memories, perhaps—are most pessimistic of all, with nearly half fearing trouble on the streets.
2,270 adults were polled across England, Scotland and Wales, with interviews conducted between the 10th and the 12th February 2009. Unsurprisingly, worries about a return to mass unemployment are also rife—the results show that three quarters of us think Britain is heading for lengthening dole queues, with 73 per cent agreeing that “there will be a return to mass unemployment, not just for a year or two, but for many years to come.”
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