readingevils unheard groups
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Experiences o social evils
A decline o community, values and the amily :participantsfeltimportantneighbourlyand
familyrelationshipshadbrokendownandmoralvalueshaddeclined,leavingthemisolated.
Individualism and consumerism :ariseinselshnessandtheinuenceofcelebrityculture
wasexperiencedashavinganegativeeffectonsociety.
Young people, drugs and alcohol, crime and violence :youngerparticipantsfelttheywere
negativelystereotypedastroublemakers.Peopleofallageshadbeenaffectedbymisuseof
drugsandalcohol,whichwascloselyrelatedtotheirexperienceoffamilybreakdown,
povertyandcrimeandviolence.
Poverty :thenegativematerialandsocialimpactofpovertywasexperiencedacrossallage
groups,andpeoplefelttheirliveswereheldbackbyit.
Immigration :migrationwasseentobringsomebenetsbuttherewerealsocomplaintsthat
immigrantsweregivenunfairpriorityforhousing,employmentandbenets.
Coping with social evils
What people do :participantsdealtwithsituationsbypositiveandnegativemeans.Some
copedbystayingpositiveornotthinkingabouttheirsituation.Waysofcopingincluded
escapismsuchasalcoholventingfrustrationemotionallyorthroughphysicalactivity,or
turningtoviolenceorcrime.
Where people look or support :participantsturnedtofamily,friendsandsupportservices.
What should be done about social evils?
Government and politicians :thegovernmentisseentohaveakeyroletoplayinaddressing
socialevilsbyenforcingdiscipline,educatingfamiliesanddistributingwealthmorefairly.
Media :participantswantedlessglamourisationofcelebrityandmorepositivenews.
Business and fnancial institutions :banksareviewedaspenalisingpeoplewithdebt
problems,andbusinessesshouldcontributetolocalcommunities.
Religious institutions :thechurchcouldhelpputmoralbrebackintosociety.
Role o the individual :therewasastrongsensethatindividualactionhasanintegralroleto
playintacklingsocialevils
This paper focuses on the social evils of British society as experienced
by people whose voices are not usually heard. Researchers used
workshops/discussion groups with lone parents, ex-offenders,
unemployed and other vulnerable and socially excluded people to
explore personal experiences of living and coping with social evils.
Suggestions for overcoming them point to a combined individual and
collective responsibility to drive forward social change.June 2009
www.socialevils.org.uk
Living with social evils thevoices o unheard groups
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Introduction
WhenJosephRowntreesetuphisthree
charitabletrustsmorethanacenturyago,he
didsowiththeaimofaddressingtheunderlyingcausesofweaknessorevilinthe
community.Heidentiedtheevilsofwar,
poverty,slavery,excessivedrinking,gambling
andthedrugstradeasbeingchiefamong
these.Now,ahundredyearslater,theJoseph
RowntreeFoundationiscarryingouta
programmeofworktoexplorewhatpeoplein
Britainseeasbeingthesocialevilsfacing
societytoday.
Therstphaseoftheprogrammeconsistedof
twomainstrands.Therstwasaweb-based
consultation,askingthegeneralpublictolist
theirtopthreesocialevils.Thesecondstrand
involvedseekingouthard-to-reachgroupsof
peoplewhosevoiceswereunlikelytobeheard
throughtheweb-basedconsultation.Itfocused
onthesehard-to-reachgroupsthrougharst
roundofeightdiscussiongroupsandexplored
theirviewsonthemainsocialproblemsfacing
Britishsocietytoday.
Thesecondphaseoftheprogrammeaimedto
furtherthedebate,engagingotherorganisations
inconsideringthendingsofphaseone,and
lookingforwardtoimplicationsandpossible
solutions.Thisinvolvedthreestrandsofwork:a
seriesoflectures/debates,coveringsomeofthe
moreabstractthemesthatemergedduring
phaseone;aseriesofthink-piecesonselected
topicsthataroseduringphaseone;andfurther
workshops/discussiongroupswithhard-to-
reachgroups.Thispaperfocusesonthe
ndingsfromtheworkshops/discussiongroups.
Tensocialevilsemergedfromphaseoneofthe
researchandtheaimofthephasetwo
workshops/discussiongroupswastofocusonpeoplespersonalexperiencesoflivingwith
theseevils,howtheycopedwiththemandwhat
ifanythingcouldorshouldbedoneabout
them.
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andskillstofulltheirpotential.Itprovides
adiverserangeofserviceslinkedbythe
themesoflearning,workandprogression,
inordertohelpdisadvantagedpeople
backintoemployment.RedKiteLearning
helpedtosetuponediscussiongroupin
Londonwithunemployedpeople.Within
thisdiscussiongroupparticipantshadarangeofdifferentexperiences,including
prison,homelessness,drugandalcohol
addictions,mentalhealthissuesand
learningdifculties.
Supporting Others through Volunteer
Action (SOVA)Anationalvolunteer
mentoringorganisationthatuses
volunteerstooffermentoringand
education,supportdisadvantagedor
excludedpeople,rehabilitateandresettle
offenders/ex-offenders,reduceand
preventcrime,andprovidevariedand
innovativeservicestohelppeoplereturn
towork.SOVArecruitedunemployed
peopletoattendtheworkshopinWales.
One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS)
Anationalvoluntaryorganisation,
registeredasacharity.OPFSmembers
includeindividualloneparents,various
organisationsworkingwithloneparents
andotherswhosupportthecauseoflone
parents.OPFSofferstrainingandadvice
onissuesrelatedtobeingasingleparent
throughatelephonehelpline,an
interactivewebsiteandvarious
publications.OPFSrecruitedagroupof
lonefatherstoattendtheworkshopin
Edinburgh.
Gingerbread/One Parent Families
(Manchester)Acharitythataimstobuild
afairersocietyforallfamilies,inwhich
loneparentsandtheirchildrenarenot
disadvantagedanddonotsufferfrom
poverty,isolationorsocialexclusion.
Gingerbreadoffersinformationandadvice
toloneparents,throughtheLoneParent
Helpline,awiderangeofpublications,an
interactivewebsiteandonlinehelpdesk,
freelone-parentmembershipandspecial
events.Gingerbreadrecruitedagroupof
loneparentstoattendtheworkshopin
Manchester.
Powys Youth Oending Service
(YOS)Amulti-agencyservicewith
representativesfromsocialservices,
police,probation,healthandthecharity
PowysChallenge.Itsmainfunctionisto
preventtheoffendingandre-offendingof
youngpeopleinPowys,byoffering
variousservicestoyoungoffendersand
thoseconsideredtobeatriskof
offending.PowysYOSrecruited
Table 1 Prole o participants
Category Number
Group
Unemployedpeople 7
Ex-offenders 9
Youngpeoplelivinginahostel 15
Youngoffenders/youngpeople
atriskofoffending 10Loneparents 8(+1
daughterof
loneparent)
Carers 10
Gender
Male 32
Female 28
Geographical location
London 16
Manchester 17
Wales 13
Scotland 14
Age
Under24 26
2450 26
Over50s 8
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vulnerableyoungpeopletoattendthe
workshopinWales.
Voice o Carers Across Lothian
(Vocal)Acharitableenterprisethat
supportscarerslivinginEdinburghand
theLothiansbyprovidinginformationand
advice.Vocaldealswithpracticalissuessuchasbenets,serviceprovisionand
understandingmedicalconditions,aswell
asprovidingemotionalsupportinthe
formofcounselling,grouptherapyand
advocacywork.Vocalrecruitedagroupof
carerstoattendtheworkshopin
Edinburgh.Thiswasanoldergroupthan
theothers,withawiderangeoflife
experiences.
Intotal,60peopletookpartinthethree
workshopsandtwodiscussiongroups.The
sampleproleofparticipantscapturedabroad
spreadofcharacteristics,ascanbeseenin
Table1.Whileparticipantswereidentied
accordingtotheparticularissuethatwascore
toeachorganisation,suchasunemploymentor
loneparenthood,inrealityparticipants
experiencesspannedseveralcategories.For
example,therewereunemployedex-offenders,
unemployedpeopleandyoungpeoplewith
experienceofhomelessnessandunemployed
loneparents.However,foreaseofclassication,
theyhavebeengroupedinthesampleprole
accordingtothemainfocusoftheorganisation
thatrecruitedthem.
Data collection
Inthreeofthefourlocationsaworkshop
approachwasused.Inthefourthareatwo
separatediscussiongroupstookplaceinstead
ofaworkshop,duetothedifcultiesofgetting
peoplefromdifferentorganisationstotravelto
oneplaceforaworkshop.Duringeachofthe
workshopsanddiscussiongroups,an
introductionwasgiventothestudyatthe
beginning,presentingthetenmainsocialevils
thatwereidentiedduringphaseoneandgiving
anexplanationofeach:
adeclineofcommunity
individualismandselshness
consumerism
adeclineofvalues
thedeclineofthefamily
youngpeopleasvictimsorperpetrators
misuseofdrugsandalcoholpovertyandinequality
immigrationandresponsestoimmigration
crimeandviolence.
Participantsattendingtheworkshopswere
separatedintotwoorthreediscussiongroups.
Duringthesesmallgroupdiscussionsandthe
discussiongroupsinLondon,theaimwasto
explorewhatparticipantspersonalexperiences
wereofthesesocialevils.Researcherstriedto
avoidalongdiscussionaroundwhetherthese
aresocialevils,asthishadbeenthefocusof
phaseoneoftheresearch.Theaimofthisstage
wastondouthowpeopleliveandcopewith
theissues,andtosuggestpossiblesolutionsfor
addressingthem.Thesmallerdiscussion
groupswerethenreconvenedatdifferentpoints
throughouttheworkshoptoreportbacktothe
groupasawhole.
Thediscussiongroupswererecordedand
transcribed.Framework(amethoddesignedby
NatCenforanalysingqualitativedata)wasthen
usedtoexplorethekeythemes.Thiswasdriven
bythreecorequestions:
Whatwerepeoplespersonalexperiences
ofthesocialevilsdotheseissues
resonateintheirownlivesand,ifso,how?
Howdopeoplecopewithlivingalongside
thesesocialevilshowdotheydealwith
them?
Whatmightbedonetoaddressthese
socialevilswhatarethepossible
solutions?
Therestofthispaperisstructuredaroundthese
threequestions.
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Experiences o social evils
Tensocialevilsemergedduringphaseoneof
theresearchandtheaimofthissecondphase
ofworkwastofocusonpeoplespersonal
experiencesoflivingwiththeseevils.Asinthe
phaseonediscussiongroups,participantsalso
talkedabouttheirwiderviewsofthetensocialevilsandtheimpacttheyhadonsociety.Some
socialevilsresonatedmorethanothersin
peoplespersonallives.Participantsviewsof
thesocialevilswereoftendiscussedinrelation
totheirownexperienceortheexperienceof
eithertheirfriendsorfamily.
A decline o community
Discussionofthisissuewaslargelybasedon
howwellpeoplefelttheyknewtheirneighbours
andothersintheirlocalcommunity.Peoples
experiencesvariedgreatly.
Oneperspectivewasthattherewasstilla
strongsenseofcommunitywherepeople
lookedoutforeachother,whereasanother
wasthatsuchexperienceswererare,as
illustratedbyonemanwhoexplainedthatheno
longerknewhisneighbours:
I dont even know my neighbour, I
mean it has gone. At one time beore,
you know I can remember way back,
you know, but you knew your
neighbour, you could pop round, the
kids could play in the streets and that,
its all gone, all gone.(Man, lone parent)
Threemainthemesemergedashavingan
impactonhowwellpeoplefelttheyknewtheir
neighbours:typeoflocation,howlongpeople
hadlivedinanareaandsocialchanges.Itwas
feltthatlivinginaruralareamadeiteasiertobe
acloser-knitcommunitythanlivinginabigcity,
wherepeopleweremoresegregated.
Afurtherviewwasthatlong-termresidencyin
anareacouldfosterastrongsenseof
community.However,thisviewdidnotreect
everyonesexperiences.Onewomandescribed
how,despitelivinginthesamevillagefor30
years,thecommunityfeelingcreatedby
everybodyknowingeachotherhadbeenlostas
thevillagehadgrowninsize.
Olderparticipantsinparticulartalkedofasense
thatthelevelofcarepeopleshowedforeach
otherhaddiminishedovertime.Onewoman
describedhowpeopleusedtoborrowitems
suchassugarandmilkfromtheirneighbours
andhelpeachotherout,whereasnow
neighbourswouldbeshockediftheyturnedto
themforhelp.Asduringphaseone,therewasa
senseamongstparticipantsthatthedeclinein
communitycorrespondedwitharisein
selshness,epitomisedbyaneverybodyfor
themselvesattitude.
Wheredeclineofcommunitywasdiscussed
morewidely,theotherissuethatemergedwas
thesocialandphysicaldeclineofthe
community.Participantsfelttherewereno
longerenoughactivitiesorfacilitiesforyoung
people.Forexample,youngpeoplefromrural
areasdescribedhowtherewasnotalottodo
otherthansitaround,talkandsmoke,
resultinginthemcongregatinginthetown
centre,whichoftenledtofearandstereotyping
fromolderpeople(discussedinmoredetail
later).
Individualism and selfshness
Individualismwaslessexplicitlydiscussedthan
someoftheothersocialevils.However,arisein
selshnesswasassociatedwiththedeclineof
community.Therewasalsoaviewthatthere
werealotofpeoplewhowereoutforwhatthey
cangetintermsofnancialormaterialgain.In
onediscussiongroupayoungmanexplained
howheworkedtohelphismotherpaytheirbills,
aviewthatsurprisedanotheryoungmanwho
thoughthewasmadfordoingthis,ashetook
20aweekfromhismother.
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Consumerism and greed
Consumerismwasdiscussedmainlyinrelation
toyoungpeople.Olderparticipantstalked
abouthowcelebritycultureaffectstheway
youngpeoplebehave,becausetheyfeelthey
havetohavethelatestdesigneritems.Peer
pressurewasperceivedasmakingyoung
peoplemorematerialistic.Loneparentsdiscussedtheirpersonalexperiencesoffeeling
underpressuretobuytheirchildrendesigner
clothes.Youngpeopleacknowledgedthisand
spokeaboutthepressuretheyfelttohavethe
latestthingsinordertotin.Celebrityculture
inparticularwascriticisedbecauseitmade
peoplethinktheyhavetohaveitall.
Nevertheless,itwasstrikingthatotheryoung
people,inparticularthoselivinginahostel,
describedhowtheyneededclotheslike
everyoneelse,butthattheydidntcarewhether
theyweredesigneritemsbecausetheywould
muchratherhavearoofovertheirheads,
warmthandfood.Thisillustratestherelative
importanceofdifferentthingsinpeoplesday-
to-daylivesandhowpeopleprioritisewhatthey
haveandhavenotgot.
A decline o values
Discussionofthedeclineofvaluesreecteda
senseofgenerationalshift.Olderparticipants
tendedtotalkabouttheirexperiencesofthis
issueinrelationtoyoungerpeople.Theyfelt
youngpeoplelackedrespectanddescribed
whatitwaslikeforthemgrowingup:
I used to get the strap and would be
scared to death o doing wrong.
(Man, lone parent)
Disciplineandmoraleducationweresaidby
olderpeopletohavedeclinedconsiderably.It
wasarguedthatbothshouldcomefrom
parentsandbereinforcedatschool.However,it
wasfeltthatthiswasunderminedbyparents
workingratherthanspendingtimewiththeir
children.Suchfactorscouldcreate
dysfunctionalfamilies,andthepatternwas
beingpassedontothechildren.
Arecurrentperspectivewasthatpolitical
correctnesshadgonetoofar,andthatasa
consequenceyoungpeopleknewtheycould
getawaywiththings.Onemandescribedhow
hiscarhadbeenscratchedbutwhenhereportedittothepolicetherewasnothingthey
coulddo.Similarly,anotheroldermanrecalled
anincidentonabuswhereyoungpeoplewere
causingtroubleandwhenheaskedthemto
stop,nooneelsewaswillingtosayanything
throughfearofgettingintotroublethemselves.
Theseexperiencesweresaidtobeinstark
contrasttotheirownchildhoodswhen
participantshadknownthattheywouldbe
punishedforwrongdoing:
[You] knew not to get into trouble or
youd pay your penance.
(Woman, lone parent)
However,youngpeoplestronglyfeltthatrespect
shouldbemutualandtheydescribedasenseof
despairinrelationtothewayolderpeople
perceivedthem,manyofwhomfeltstereotyped
anddiscriminatedagainst(discussedfurther
below,underYoungpeopleasvictimsor
perpetrators).Youngpeoplelivinginahostel
agreedthatvaluesweredifferentfrom50years
ago,butalsobelievedthatyoungpeoplewere
forcedtogrowupalotquickertoday.Forsuch
youngpeoplethisspokevolumesabouttheir
ownexperiencesofhavingtofendfor
themselves,asoneyoungwomanexplained:
Fity years ago a 16-year-old would
have been living at home yes it just
wasnt heard o people living in
hostels and stu, it wasnt heard o
because, like, we are still classed as
children back in them days.
(Young woman, living in a hostel)
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The decline o the amily
Personalexperienceoffamilybreakdownwas
widespreadacrossanumberofgroups,notably
youngpeoplewithexperienceofhomelessness
andex-offenders.Threemaincausesforfamily
breakdownemerged:drugsandalcohol,
violenceandbroadersocialchanges.
Drugsandalcoholfeaturedwasacommon
causeoffamilybreakdownparticipantslives,
whetheritwastheirownuseofdrugsand
alcoholortheuseofothers.Forexample,one
youngmandescribedtheimpacthisdruguse
hadonhisfamily:
You dont go, go and see your kids
and you dont do nothing, and then
your kids are thinking, why, why is my
dad not coming to see me? This, this is
one o the issues that Ive got at the
moment, but Ive made a point o
going and seeing them regardless.
(Young man, living in a hostel)
Incomparison,otherstalkedabouthowfamily
membersdrugandalcoholaddictionshadled
toviolence,homelessnessandprison
sentences.Theseexperiencesweregenerally
expressedbyyoungpeopleinrelationtotheir
parents.
Amongsttheyoungpeople,violentfamily
backgroundsorfamilydisruptions,suchasthe
arrivalofstep-parents,hadledthemtorun
awayfromhome,spendperiodsoftime
sleepingonthestreets,orstayingawayallnight,
gettingmashedwiththeirfriendstoforgettheir
problemsathome.
Peoplealsospokeaboutbroadersocial
changes,whichhadimpactedonfamily
structures.Theseincludedsmallerfamiliesthat
weremoredisjointed,largelyduetopeople
havingtomoveforwork,andthecostofliving.
Discussionoftheincreasedlevelofteenage
pregnancieswasalsoprominent,althoughthere
wassomedebateastowhetherthiswas
actuallythecase,orifitwassimplyincreased
mediacoverage.Olderpeopleinparticular
describedhowdifferentthingsusedtobefor
themgrowingup:
I I became pregnant as a teenager I
would have been orced out by my
amily and been considered a social
outcast. Sex was something or
marriage and we were terried o it.
People dont seem to see it as letting
down their amily any more.
(Woman, lone parent)
Inadditiontothecausesoffamilybreakdown,
participantsalsodiscusseditsimpactontheir
lives.Acommonthemewasthatpeoples
experiencesincarehadmadethemfeel
unloved,insecure,aloneandangry,asthis
exchangebetweenagroupofex-offenders
illustrates:
F: So even beore that, I was [in
care] or our years.
M: [Ive] been in childrens homes as
well.
F: Ive just said that, didnt I, Ive been in
care, thats why I think thats why I turn
to violence and to the drink, just I
thought I was me own and no one
loved me or anything, so. But thennow...
M: Insecure eelings.
F: Yeah. So angry.
M: Angry at the world.
F: Im a very angry person.
Inphaseone,therewasaviewthatsingle-
parentfamilieswithaworkingmotherandan
absentfathercouldleadtoyoungpeople
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gettingintotrouble.Thiswasaconcernthat
resonatedwithpeoplespersonalexperiencesin
phasetwo.Femalerespondentsinparticularfelt
fathershadanimportantroletoplayinthe
familynetworkandthatyoungmengrowingup
withoutfatherslackeddiscipline.
Ive seen the riends that have one-
parent amilies, and Ive seen the ones
that are a amily unit, and every single
time, the amily unit is stronger, the kids
are nicer. The whole network works
because you need a amily unit
(Woman, unemployed)
However,somemaleparticipantsstrongly
disagreedandfeltthat,despitenotknowing
theirfathers,theyhadturnedoutalright.
Young people as victims or perpetrators
Theageofparticipantswasastrongindicatorof
theirviewsandexperiencesofyoungpeople.
Olderpeoplegenerallysawyoungpeopleas
perpetratorsofsocialevilsanddescribedhow
theyweregettingawaywithmurder,withbad
languageandantisocialandthreatening
behaviour.Onefemalecarerdescribedhowshe
likedtobeindoorsbysevenoclock,asshedid
notlikewalkingpastthosehoodiesbecause
theywouldnotletherpassbywithoutabuseor
swearing.However,whileoneperspective
amongstolderparticipantswasthatthiswas
somethingnew,analternativeviewwasthat
olderpeoplehadalwaysfearedyoungpeople,
andthatitwasmerelythecontextand
appearancethathadchanged.Forexample,an
older,unemployedmanrecalledbeingchased
whenhewasyoungerforhangingaround
outsidepeopleshomes.Heclaimedthat
peopleusedtofearskinheadswhereasnowit
washoodies,andhefeltnothinghadreally
changedexcepttheclotheswornbyyoung
people.Notwithstandingsomedisagreement
aboutwhethersuchfearswerenew,older
participantssharedtheviewthatcommunity
declineandthelackofprovisionforyoung
people,suchasboxingandfootballclubs,
meanttherewasalackofleadershipforyoung
peopleintodayssociety.
Perhapsnotsurprisingly,youngpeoples
perspectivesandexperiencesvariedgreatly
fromthoseoftheolderparticipants.Therewas
astrongsenseofdiscriminationonthepartofyoungerparticipants,whoarguedthatpeopleof
allagescausedtroubleandcommittedcrimes,
butthattherewasatendencytoautomatically
blameyoungpeoplebasedonstereotypes,
withoutreallylookingintothecauses.There
wasevidentirritationthatyoucouldbejudged
inrelationtoothersoronthebasisofsuspicion.
Forexample,oneyoungwomanclaimedshe
didntwanttobejudgedbysomethinga
differentyoungpersonhaddone,whileayoung
manthoughtitwaspatheticthatolderpeople
wouldcrossthestreettoavoidagangofyoung
people.
Participantsaccountsrevealedasenseof
frustrationaboutbeingjudgedonthebasisof
appearance.
People think youre a crim i you wear
tracksuits, trainers or a hoodie.
(Young man, oender/at risk
o oending)
Judgementsaboutappearancecouldhave
materialconsequences.Forexample,one
youngwomandescribedtheproblemsshehad
experiencedndingworkbecauseoftheway
shedressed.Forher,aviciouscirclewas
createdbythefactthatinordertobuyclothes
togetabetterjobshewouldneedtogeta
scraggyjobrst.
Althoughthegeneralviewamongstyoung
peoplewasthattheywerevictims,therewas
alsoanacknowledgementthattheycouldbe
perpetrators,asoneyoungmanargued:
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You dont see a 30-year-old man in a
suit going out and robbing another
30-year-old man in a suit, do you know
what Im saying? So the youths are to
blame. Im a youth mysel yeah, but I
can saely say, yeah, but the youth
these days are corrupt. Theyre
seriously corrupt.
(Young man, living in a hostel)
Aviewsharedacrossallagegroupswasthat
themediawaslargelytoblamefordistorting
perceptionsofyoungpeople,bygiving
disproportionatecoveragetoasmall
percentageofyoungpeoplewhohadactually
goneofftherails.Thisrelatestotheissueof
whoistoblameforsocialevilsandpossible
solutions,questionswhichareexploredfurther
oninthispaper.
Misuse o drugs and alcohol
Closelylinkedtopeoplesexperiencesoffamily
breakdownwasdrugsandalcohol(discussed
previously,underThedeclineofthefamily).
Participantsaccountsalsorevealedacloselink
betweendrugsandalcoholandcrimeand
violence,aspeopledescribedhowthey
becameviolentwhendrinkingortakingdrugs
(exploredinmoredepthbelow).However,two
maindimensionsemergedinrelationtothis
issuetheirownpersonalexperienceofusing
drugsandalcoholandtheirexperiencesof
othersusingdrugsandalcohol.
Personalexperiencesofdrugmisuseand
alcoholfeaturedheavilyinthelivesof
participants,notablyyoungpeople,unemployed
peopleandex-offenders.Therewasawide
varietyofreasonsforusingdrugsandalcohol,
suchasboredom,beingincare,bereavement,
peerpressure,stressandescapism,asthe
followingexamplesillustrate:
I drink a lot, cos I get so stressed. And I
smoke a lot.
(Young woman, living in a hostel)
One thing leads to the other. Boredom
leads to drugs and alcohol.
(Man, unemployed)
It calms me down, cannabis.
(Man, ex-oender)
With me losing children, like twins and
that in the past they were stillborn,
when Mum was seven months
pregnant I used to hide behind
drugs, me.
(Man, ex-oender)
Amongstyoungpeople,drinkingwascommonly
viewedasasocialactivity,ashighlightedinthe
followingaccount:
Drinking is more about getting drunk
with your mates and having a laugh.
(Young man, oender/atrisk o oending)
However,participantswhohadexperienced
theirdrinksbeingspikedviewedtheincreased
availabilityofdrugsandalcoholinclubsand
barsnegatively.Thus,similarlytothe
experiencesofparticipantsinphaseone,
alcoholwasconsideredproblematicwhenused
toexcess.
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Otherpeoplesuseofdrugsandalcoholwas
theotherkeydimensioninparticipants
accounts.Thiswasespeciallytrueofyoung
peoplewhotalkedabouttheirexperiencesof
relationshipsinvolvingdrugs,describedbyone
womanashorrendous,andthenegative
effectsdrugshadontheirfamilymembersand
friends,suchascrime,violence,homelessness,losingfamily,divorceandunemployment.One
youngpersonexplainedhowhehadseenhis
unclelosehisgirlfriendandchildduetoheroin,
whilstanotherrecalledthephysicalimpact
drugshadonagirlsheknew:
she used to look like alright, yeah,
and like, now shes got a kid, yeah, and
you should see the state o her, her
ace is all sunken in Yeah, shes dead
pale, shes absolutely scruy and she
looks like a skeleton, shes just like just
looking at er, you just think, Ooh my
God, I never want to be like that, and
its just seeing, like, that just stops you
rom doing that no, just seeing how
they are and theyre like, theyre
desperate and theyre looking on the
foor or pennies and that to get money
or their drugs.
(Young woman, oender/at risk o
oending)
Amongsttheseyoungpeopletherewasa
generalviewofwhatcouldbeworththat?,
whyareyoutakingit?,whatsthepoint?.
Peoplealsospokeatlengthaboutthe
signicantnegativeimpactsthatdrugsand
alcoholhadhadontheirlives.Participants
talkedaboutbeingputoffdrugsafterseeing
otherpeopleusingthem,periodsofdepression,
notbeingabletofunctionwithoutadrinkand
losingpeople.Oneex-offenderdescribedhow
drinkinghadnearlyruinedhislife:
I got drunk a hell o a lot, Ive been
dead because someone spiked me
GHD, it was 100 per cent vodka, and I
downed a ull shot glass, so Im lucky to
still be here.
(Man, ex-oender)
Poverty and inequality
Peoplesexperiencesofpovertyspannedall
groupsandallages.Participantstendedtotalk
abouttheconstrainingforcesofpoverty,and
twomainthemesthematerialandthesocial
impactofpovertyemergedinrelationtothe
effectithadontheirlives.Theimpactofpoverty
wasparticularlyprominentinthelivesofyoung
people,affectingtheiridentityandself-esteem.
Youngpeoplelivinginahostelspokeaboutthe
difcultiesofdependingonbenetsandthe
signicantimpactthishadontheirlives,both
materiallyandsocially.Oneyoungwoman
explainedthatitshardlivingon48aweek,
asonceshehaddonehershoppingshehadno
moneyleftforclothesortogooutwithfriends.
Participantssharedtheviewthattheywere
worseoff(nancially)workingthanlivingon
benets.However,theyfounditboringand
depressingnothavinganythingtodoandgot
annoyedwhenpeopletoldthemtogetajob
andassumedtheywerelazy.
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Olderparticipantsdescribedhowtheir
circumstanceshadchangedovertimein
relationtopoverty,summedupbythismans
experiences:
Two months ago, I was more likely just
like you, three-bedroom house, ull-
time job, amily. Now Im homeless,
skint, spending my daytime looking or
a room just to close the door behind
me rather than sleeping in a park.
Thats what I do every day I always
had a pound note. Now, I havent even
got a penny in my pocket rom day to
day. Im always on the ponce, Imalways looking around trying or
something to do, someone to eed me,
someone to give me a drink, someone
to give me a bus ticket. I used to do all
that on my own, and now or my
daughter to [oer money] to me, I eel
ashamed o mysel.
(Man, unemployed)
Povertyandthefactorsthathadgivenrisetoit
weredescribedashavinganegativeimpacton
personalidentityandattitudesdisplayedby
otherpeople.Forexample,onewomanwhose
circumstanceshadchangedfeltshehadlost
heridentityandpowerandobservedthatthe
wayinwhichotherpeoplerespondedtoher
hadchangedsignicantly:
Well because I dont have a job, and
Im a carer. I you meet people they just
assume that because you are not
working you are the scum o the earth,
you are divorced, you are the scum o
the earth, you know the whole thing.
(Woman, carer)
Therewasaclearsense,asduringphaseone,
thatpeoplesexperiencesofpovertywerealso
shapedbytruncatedopportunitiesandnot
simplyrelatedtowhattheycouldnotafford.
Youngpeopletalkedabouthowalackofmoney
heldthembackasitmadeitharderto
continueineducationandgotouniversity,
whichsubsequentlymadeitdifculttogetajobbecausetheyhadlimitedqualications.Other
youngpeoplefelttheyhadnochoicenotto
workandfelttheywerevictimsbecauseoftheir
situation(youngwoman,livinginahostel).
Suchexperienceshighlighttheconstraining
forcesofpovertyinpeoplesday-to-daylives,
summedupbythisman:
Povertys a trap, once you get into it,
its hard to get out o it.
(Man, lone parent)
Immigration and responses to immigration
Althoughitwasfeltthattherewerepositive
aspectstoimmigration,suchasimmigrant
workerswillingnesstodothelow-paidjobsthat
peoplebornintheUKwouldnotdo,andwider
economicbenets,accountsofimmigration
werepredominatelynegative.Peoplespoke
abouthowthemake-upofsocietyhadchanged
overtime.Asoneunemployedmanclaimed:
youneverseenacolouredpersoninWales,
onetimethatwasveryrare.OtherEnglish
participantsdescribedhowpeopleinWaleshad
takenadisliketothemwhentheyrstmovedto
WalessimplyforbeingEnglish.
Immigrationwaslargelydiscussedinrelationto
threemainissues;housing,employmentand
benets.Therewasaclearsenseofunfairness
amongstparticipantsaboutthewayimmigrants
weretreatedincomparisontothemselves.For
example,youngpeoplelivinginahostelwho
hadbeenonahousingwaitinglistfortwoyears
stronglybelievedthereasonwhytheydidnot
haveaatwasbecauseatswereallocatedto
immigrantsrst.Similarly,anoldermalecarer
explainedhowheappliedforcouncilhousingin
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the1980sbuthadbeentoldthatbecausehe
wasBritishhewouldbeputatthebottomofthe
list.Thiswasanexperiencewhichhefound
annoyinginitselfandfrustratingbecauseithad
ultimatelyresultedinhimgivingupagood
careerandmovingbacktothecommunityin
whichhehadgrownup.
Participantstalkedatlengthabouttheir
experiencesoflosingoutonjobstopeoplewho
werenotbornintheUK,asthisexchange
betweenyoungoffenders/youngpeopleatrisk
ofoffendinghighlights:
F: They get housing quicker as well
and like jobs quicker and were put to
the back o the queue really, yes.
M1: Oh yes, denitely.
M2: I reckon its pretty harsh.
F: Because theyre taking it o us.
M2: Because its like people who
actually live in this country whos
desperate or jobs and then some []
comes along and just gets it.
Perceivedunfairnessextendedtobenet
provision.Participantsfeltthattheyreceived
lowerbenetsthanimmigrantworkersandthey
expressedconcernsthattheirbenetswouldbe
loweredduetomoreimmigrantsentering
Britain.
Anunemployedfemaleasylumseekerfrom
Somaliasharedtheseconcerns,indoingso
makingadistinctionbetweenherownposition
asanasylumseekerandthepositionof
economicmigrants.Shedescribedhowshe
hadhadtoleaveSomaliafearingpersecution,
butcriticisedotherimmigrantswhodidntface
suchproblemsintheircountryoforiginwho
movedtoBritainandmilk[ed]thesystem.
Crime and violence
Peoplesexperiencesofcrimeandviolence
werecloselyinterwovenintheirday-to-daylives
withanumberoftheothersocialevils,notably
drugsandalcohol,discriminationagainstyoung
peopleandpoverty.
Drugsandalcoholappearedtobeacatalystfor
crimeandviolenceinpeoplesexperiencesas
bothvictimsandperpetrators.Participants
talkedaboutcommittingcrimetosupporttheirdrughabits,orbecominginvolvedincriminal
activityandviolencewhilstundertheinuence
ofalcohol,asdiscussedbytheseex-offenders:
M1: Ive known people, Ive pulled dirty
syringes [out].
M2: Yeah, Ive known that.
M1: And security guards have gone tograb hold o it.
M2: And stabbed him with it.
M1: And youve stabbed him, you
know with a dirty syringe.
M3: Thats horrible, that is horrible.
M1: Thats how low you can get to
M2: Its the drugs and alcohol that
brings a lot o the crime into it.
Ontheotherhand,peopledescribedtheir
experiencesofbeingvictimsofviolentattacks
orrobberiesfrompeopleusingdrugsand
alcohol.Oftenthesewerepeopletheyknewor
familymembers.
However,crimesunrelatedtodrugsandalcohol
werealsowidelydiscussed.Participants
describedtheirexperiencesofbeinginprison
andcommittingcrimes,suchasrobbingcars,
shopliftingandvandalism.Theseactswere
oftenprovokedbyboredom,lackofmoneyand
wantingtolookcoolortotinwithfriends.
Thisviewwassharedbyyoungpeopleinrural
areaswhodescribedcrimeasthe onlyfun
thingtodo.
Personalexperienceofcrimeandviolencewas
particularlyprominentinthelivesofyoung
peopleandex-offenders.However,oneolder
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unemployedmandescribedhisexperienceof
beinginprisonforsevenyearsandpriortothat
beinginandoutofprisoneverytwoyears.He
talkedabouthowhelosthiscareerthrough
crimeandviolencebecausehethoughthewas
abigman,robbingandstabbingpeople.
Olderparticipantstendedtotalkaboutcrimeandviolenceinrelationtoyoungpeopleand
therewasanoverwhelmingsenseoffearthat
crimehadbecomeworse,drivenbyhighlevels
ofyouthunemploymentandyoungpeoples
lackofrespectfortheirparents.
Therewasalsoacommonviewthatcrimewas
stronglylinkedtopovertyaspeoplehadtosteal
tosurvive,buttherewasaclearsenseamongst
participantsthatitwasnottheirfault.Thisview
wasborneoutbytheexperiencesofsome
youngpeople,who,forexample,described
shopliftinginordertofeedyoungersiblings.
Oneolderwomanalsodescribedhowshehad
recentlybeguntoexperiencepovertyinherown
lifeandappearedtoempathisewiththosewho
hadbeeninpovertytheirentirelifeandhad
turnedtocrimeasaresult:
Well, I just eel that people will steal to
get money to help them. Its not their
ault, but this is a way they eel that they
can get something so then you have
your crime, and then you have violence
and people ghting each other over it,
so its all a big circle isnt it?
(Woman, carer)
Interconnected social evils
Itwasclearinthisresearch,aswithphaseone,
thatthetensocialevilswereclosely
interconnectedinparticipantsday-to-daylives.
Participantsthemselvesacknowledgedthelinks
betweenthesocialevils.Forexample,amongst
theyoungpeoplelivinginahostel,violencewas
citedasoneofthemaincausesoftheirfamily
breakdownandtheydescribedhowthe
violenceusuallystemmedfromtheirparents
drugandalcoholmisuse.
Ageplayedanimportantroleinshaping
participantsviewsandexperiences.Thiswas
particularlyevidentinrelationtoyoungpeople
andadeclineinvalues.Olderpeopletendedtoassociatecrimeandviolencewithyoungpeople
andtherewasaclearsenseoffearandanxiety
towardsthemintodayssociety.Older
participantsbelievedthiswasduetoadecline
invaluesandalackofrespectfromyoung
people,which,inturn,theysawasbeinglinked
withcommunitydeclineandalackofpositive
rolemodels.However,youngpeopledidnot
alwaysmakethesamelinkbetweenthemselves
andcrimeandviolence,insteaddescribinghow
theyfeltdiscriminatedagainstandstereotyped
byolderpeople.Botholderandyounger
participantsdid,however,agreethat
consumerismputalotofpressureonyoung
peopletohavethelatestdesignergoodsin
ordertotinwithothers.Thisinturnput
pressureonparentswhohadlimitedresources
tobuytheseexpensivegoods.
Anotherstrikingndingwastheextenttowhich
participantsspokeabouttheconstrainingforces
ofpovertyandtheviewthatpeopleresortedto
crimeasameansofgettingbyandmaking
theirwayintheworld.Thereappearedtobea
levelofacceptanceofcrimeamongst
participants,whichhighlightstheattractionof
analternativelifestyleasameansofescaping
thecurrentsituation.Thisreectsthenotionof
truncatedopportunitiesidentiedinphaseone,
wherebypeoplefeltlimitedandconstrainedby
theirsituations.
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Coping with social evils
Avarietyofcopingmechanismsemergedfrom
participantsaccountsoflivingwiththeeffects
ofsocialevils.Thisledtocontrastingand
competingdenitionsofwhatcopingmeantin
practice.
Internalcopingmechanismsincludedthestories
peopletoldthemselves,whichcouldbeboth
positive(e.g.lookingforwardtoadifferentplace
andtime)andnegative(e.g.blockingthereality
ofthepresent).Theyalsoincludedbothpositive
andnegativeversionsofescapismhobbies
andinterestsontheonehand,ordrugsand
alcoholontheother.Similarlyadesiretogetrid
ofbuilt-upfrustrationcouldresultinexercise
(bothmentalandphysical)orverbalabuseand
physicalviolence.Turningtocrimewassaidto
beanotherwayofcopingwithsocialevils,by
makingeasymoney.
Externalcopingstrategiesinvolvedlooking
eithertofamilyandfriendsortosupport
servicesforemotionalorpracticalhelpand
support.Suchmechanismswereseenasways
ofmanagingtheproblem.
What people tell themselves
Oneformofcopinginvolvedthinkingabout
thingsinaparticularway.Peopledealtwith
issuesinternallyeitherbytellingthemselvesto
staypositive,ornotthinkingaboutthesituation
andignoringsocialevils.
Positive rame o mind
Just stay positive no matter what. No
matter how much you get run down,
just stay happy, thats what I say.
(Young man, living in a hostel)
Havingapositiveframeofmindgenerally
seemedtobebasedonputtingthingsinto
perspective.Threewaysofdoingthisemerged:
believingthesituationwouldchange,
concentratingonreligiousbeliefsor
rememberingthatthereareotherpeopleinthe
worldwhoareworseoff.
Abeliefthattheirsituationwouldchangewasa
recurrentperspectiveamongstyoungpeople
livinginhostels.Thisfeelingthattherewerebettertimestocomehelpedpeopletocope
withissuestheywerecurrentlyfacing,suchas
familybreakdownandpoverty.
Commonly,educationwasseenasthekeyto
changingtheirsituation.However,theyoung
peoplewhotookpartintheresearchargued
thattheyfacedbarrierstoahighereducation,
suchaslackofmoneyandnofamilysupport.
Consequently,somesawexperienceratherthan
educationasthewayforward.Youngpeople
alsotalkedaboutchangingtheirsituation
throughwork,movingaway,gettingmarried
andstartingafamilyoftheirown.
Me personally, Im not gonna be poor
my whole lie, you get me? The way I
see it, i you cant beat em, join em, soIm going to be rich. Im getting a career
and a job I you have it in your head
and aim high, youll get there.
(Young man, living in a hostel)
Forsomeparticipantsreligiousbeliefsactedas
adriverforapositiveframeofmind.Believingin
God,forexample,gavepeopleasenseofbeing
partofsomethingbiggerthanthemselves.This
helpedpeopletoputthingsintoperspective
andavoidanarrowfocusontheirpersonal
problems.Thisviewpointwasparticularlystrong
amongthecarerswhotookpartinthe
research.
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There is obviously a great strength in
the personal aith I you are thinking
o the man up there or the God in
charge, you are relating in a way to
something bigger than yoursel, and
not necessarily your immediate
problem.
(Woman, carer)
Anotherwayofputtingthingsintoperspective
wastothinkaboutotherpeopleintheworld
whoareworseoff.Bothyoungandolder
participantsdiscussedconcentratingonwhat
theydohave,forexamplebasicnecessities
suchasfoodandwater,andcomparingthis
with,say,peopleinAfricawhoarestarvingand
donothaveaccesstosafedrinkingwater.Lone
parentsalsodiscussedofferingthisperspective
totheirchildrenwhentheycomplainedabout
theircircumstances.
Not thinking about social evils
Adifferentapproachtocopinginvolved
ignoringthesituationratherthandealingwithit.
Notthinkingaboutsocialevilswasarecurrent
themewhenparticipantswereaskedabout
coping.Peoplesaidtheywouldjustgetonwith
itorputproblemstothebackoftheirmind.
I just think youve gotta get on with it.
There isnt, like I said, theres no coping
method youve gotta get on with it
you just dont think about you justthink, uck it, and carry on.
(Young woman, living in a hostel)
Therewerethreewaysinwhichpeoplestopped
themselvesfromthinkingaboutsocialevils:
distractingthemselvesbykeepingbusyand
ndingpracticalhelp;blockingouttheir
emotionsandnotlettingthemselvesgetupset;
ornotthinkingtoofaraheadandconcentrating
ononedayatatime.
Participantsdiscussedusinghouseworkand
collegecoursesaswaysofdistracting
themselvesfromtheirproblems.Notdwelling
ontheissuebutturningtofamilyandfriendsor
publicandthird-sectororganisationsfor
practicalhelpandsupportwasanotherwayof
coping(discussedfurtheronunderWhere
peoplelookforsupport).Thiscouldbeaboutaccessingactivitiesthroughtheseorganisations
todistractthemselves,orndinghelptodeal
withanimmediateproblem,suchashaving
nowheretostayandneedingaccommodation,
whilstignoringbiggerissues.
Onekeythemeassociatedwithnotthinking
aboutsocialevilswasnotgettingupset.
Suppressingemotionswasastrategy
commonlydiscussedbyfemaleparticipants.
Displayingemotion,eventooneself,was
interpretedasnotcopingwithsituations.
Sometimes you dont [cope] though,
sometimes you do just break down
and have a cry and you think, Oh I cant
deal with everything, but youve gotta
carry on. But then you think, Whatscrying gonna change? Youre sat here
crying wasting a ew extra minutes o
your lie.
(Young woman, living in a hostel)
Onesinglemothertalkedabouthavingdifculty
payingherrentandfeelingunderconstant
pressurebutresolvedthattherewasnopointin
cryingbecauseitwasnotgoingtogether
anywhere.Thisresonatedwithresponsesfrom
otherfemaleparticipantswhotalkedabout
cryingbeingpointlessandhavingtopull
yourselftogether.
Perhapsnotsurprisingly,olderparticipants
seemedlessinclinedtolooktothefutureasa
wayofcoping.Infact,onewayofignoring
socialevilswastotakeonedayatatimeand
notplanahead.Olderparticipantsdiscussed
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blockingoutthefuturebecausetheycould
foreseefurtherproblemsdowntheline,andjust
triedtodealwiththeirpresentsituationinstead.
I can cope with breaking it down into
dealing with my lie in days, rather than
planning or the week or the month or
the year. I dont do that because I just
nd it creates ar too much stress or
me to have to cope with that.
(Woman, unemployed)
What people do
Anotherinternalcopingstrategywasdoing
somethinginresponsetosocialevils.Three
typesofdoingstrategiesemerged:escaping
reality,ventingfrustrationandresortingtocrime.
Escapism
Escapismwasonemeansofcoping.Escapism
couldbeachievedthroughpositiveornegative
mediums.Positiveformsofescapismincluded
listeningtomusic,watchinglmsorreading.
Thisgaveanopportunitytoescapefromsocial
evilsforashortspaceoftime,andsubmerge
oneselfinactionalplace.Thistendedtobea
techniqueemployedbythecarersandlone
parentswhotookpartintheresearch.Young
peoplealsotalkedaboutlisteningtomusicto
escapeproblemsandhelpthemtorelax.
I can get lost in a good book, in a good
song, in a really antastic piece o
theatre or a good lm. I suppose its just
nding your release. I mean people nd
their release in drugs and alcohol. I
nd it in theatre and dance so Im a bit
cheesy, but I really dont care.
(Woman, carer)
Oneparticipantsaidhereadcomicsasawayof
coping.Whenexplainingwhyithelped,hesaid:
It just does, you escape, escapism, its
a release.
(Man, carer)
Morenegativeformsofescapismfrequently
discussedweredrinkingalcoholandtaking
drugs.Theseallowedparticipantstoescape
realityandtemporarilyforgetabouttheir
problems.Theywerethecopingstrategies
peopleusedeithertodealwithpovertyand
inequality,orfamilybreakdown.Inordertocope
withonesocialevil,theyturnedtoanother.
Drugsandalcoholweremainlysaidtobe
copingmechanismsfordealingwithpoverty.
Thiswasespeciallytrueofyoungpeoplewho
talkedaboutgoingoutwithfriendstoget
wreckedorgetmashedtoforgetnancial
worries.Ex-offendersandunemployedpeople
alsodiscussedbecominginebriatedtoforget
theburdenofpoverty.Apreviouslyunemployed
malecarerdiscussedusingmarijuanaasaway
ofrelaxingwhenhewasoutofworkand
thoughtlifewasfallingapart.Whensmoking
marijuana,youaresomellowyoudidntgive
amonkeysaboutanything.However,these
olderparticipantsacceptedthatinthelongrun,
turningtodrugsandalcoholcouldmakethe
situationworse.
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I suppose, in a way the drugs and
alcohol is a way o coping perhaps with
your situation to begin with and then it
becomes a problem in itsel.
(Man, ex-oender)
Lackoffamilysupport,feelingunlovedand
beingincarewereallstatedbyyoungpeopleas
reasonsforturningtoalcoholanddrugs.
Escapismthroughdrugsandalcoholallowed
youngpeopletoforgetaboutproblemsathome
orthefacttheydidnotlivewiththeirfamily.
Althoughyoungpeoplediscussedthisasaway
ofcopingwiththeirsituation,ultimatelyitcould
beconsideredaresultofnotcoping.
Venting rustration
Ventingfrustrationwasanotherformofcoping.
Thiscouldbedoneinanemotionalorphysical
way.Emotionswereventedthroughcrying,
writingpoetryortalkingtootherpeopleabout
problems.Thisallowedpeopletoworknegative
emotionsoutoftheirsystem.
Physicalactivitywasanotherwayofventing
frustration.Exercisewasagoodwaytogetrid
ofbuilt-uptensionsaccordingtothecarers
whotookpart,suchasswimming,dancingor
goingtothegym.
When I get angry I get really angry and
I let the little things build up Ill save it
and Ill go to a nightclub and I will dance
my butt o and just, I mean even acase o go to a gym, go on the
treadmill, nd a punch bag, beat the
hell out o that, beat the eeling like you
want to do it to someone else.
(Woman, carer)
I go swimming sometimes just to try
and work o the adrenalin that you
build up because you are that reaked
out [about problems].
(Woman, carer)
Amorenegativewayofphysicallyventing
frustrationwasthroughviolence.Thiscouldbe
physicalviolenceorverbalabuseagainst
others,orself-abuse.Thosewhohadresorted
toviolenceagainstotherpeopletalkedabout
losingtheirtemperwhenitwasnotnecessarily
theotherpersonsfaultandjustlosingyour
head. Thiswasdiscussedbybothyoungmen
andyoungwomenasareactiontofamily
breakdown,feelingunlovedandhavingno
money.Incontrast,anolderunemployedman
saidthathisviolencetowardsotherswas
causedbyviolenceanddisrespectshown
towardshisfamilybyotherpeople.
Ventingfrustrationcouldalsoresultinself-
harming.Bycausingthemselvesphysicalpain,
participantswereabletodealwiththeemotional
painoffamilybreakdown.Thiswasdiscussed
bytwofemaleparticipants,oneofwhomwasa
youngpersonlivinginahostel,theotheran
ex-offender.Throughself-harmingthe
participantssaidtheywereabletoventthe
angerandfrustrationtheyhadexperiencedasa
resultoffeelingunlovedduetobeingplacedin
thelooked-aftersystem.Again,thiscouldbe
perceivedasnotcopingwiththesituation.
Turning to crime
Turningtocrimewasanotherwaypeople
copedwithsocialevils.Personalrobbery,
stealing,shoplifting,prostitutionanddrug
dealingwerealldiscussedaswaysofmaking
easymoney.Onereasonforthiscouldbe
povertyandaneedtohavebasicnecessities.
Forexample,obtainingfoodforoneselforfamily
memberswasstatedasareasonforturningto
crimebythosewhohadatsomepointbeen
homeless.Anotherreason,citedbyyoung
women,couldbecopingwithconsumerismand
acquiringconsumergoodsthatwereotherwise
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outofreach.Forexample,inonegroupthe
youngwomendiscussedshopliftingasawayof
gettingholdofthehairandbeautyproducts
theycouldnotafford.Finally,ex-offenders
discussedcrimeassomethingpeopleresorted
toinordertopayfortheirdrughabit.
Where people look or support
Aswellasinternalandpersonalwaysofdealing
withsocialevils,participantsdiscussedexternal
copingstrategies.Here,copingwasseenas
seekingoracceptinghelpandsupportprovided
byfamilyandfriendsorsupportservices.All
thoseattendingtheworkshopsanddiscussion
groupshadreceivedsomeformofhelpand
supportfrompublicorthird-sectorservices,
includingthoseprovidedbytheorganisations
whichrecruitedthemtotakepartinthe
research.Participantswerealsoreceivinghelp
fromotherorganisationsandservices,suchas
probation,counselling,drop-incentresand
hostels.
Externalcopingmechanismsincludedseeking
bothemotionalandpracticalsupport.This
involveddiscussingtheproblemwithother
people,managingtheproblemandnding
solutions.
Emotional support
Acommonthemewastheimportanceofhaving
someonetotalktoinordertocope.Intherst
instance,participantsgenerallylookedtofamily
andfriendstoofferthisemotionalsupport.
Otherslookedtoprofessionalsupportservices
orotherserviceusersinsimilarsituations.
Familyandfriendswerefrequentlydiscussedas
offeringemotionalsupport.Talkingtofamilyand
friendswassaidtohelpgetitoffyourchest,
releasepent-upfrustrationanddealwith
stress.Womeninparticularemphasisedthe
importancetheygavetohavingfamilyand
friendstotalktowhengoingthroughdifcult
times.
Oneunemployedwomandescribedthe
emotionalsupportgiventoherbyhermother
whenshehadtogiveupwork.Shestruggled
nanciallyandsaidduringthistimehermum
hadbeenherrockbyconstantlytalkingtoher
aboutherproblemsandreassuringherthatshe
wasloved.
Serviceproviderswereanothersourceof
emotionalsupport,especiallyforthosewithout
familyorfriendstotalkto.Staffworkingforthe
organisationsthathelpedrecruitparticipants
weresaidtoofferemotionalsupportwhen
needed,throughtalkingtoparticipantsabout
theirproblems.Therewerealsoparticipants
whohaddecidedtheyneededprofessionalhelp
inordertodealwithparticularissues.For
example,oneunemployedmandiscussed
seekingcounsellinginordertohelphimstop
drinkingashefelthisalcoholaddictionwas
gettingoutofcontrol.
Viewsaboutthevalueofcounsellingasa
meansofalleviatingandcopingwithsocialevils
varied.Therewerebothyoungandolder
participantswhowerepositiveabout
counsellingservicesandfeltthatcounselling
hadhelpedthemcometotermswithpersonal
issues,suchasfamilybreakdown.Otheryoung
peoplesaidtheywouldrathertalktofriendsor
otherpeopleinsimilarsituationsthana
counsellor,orthattheywouldrathernottalk
aboutpastproblemsbutlooktothefuture
instead.
Emotionalsupportwasalsoofferedthrough
contactwithotherserviceusers.Meeting
peopleinsimilarsituationsmeantthat
participantswereabletodiscusstheirproblems
withpeoplewhocouldempathise.Thiscould
alsoresultinalternativesolutionstoproblems
beingsuggestedandadvicebeinggivenby
thosewithsimilarexperiences.Suchsocial
networksofpeopleinsimilarsituationsprovided
animportantcopingmechanismfordealing
withadeclineinasenseofcommunity,asthis
exchangebetweenagroupofloneparents
illustrates:
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F1: Its just a bit o socialisation isnt it, a
couple o times o month?
[Others agree]
F2: Getting together and having a
brew and
F1: By being in the group, youre
getting, like, a sense o that
community
Youngpeoplelivinginahostelwithotheryoung
peopleinsimilarsituationssuggestedthatthis
gaveasenseofeveryonebeinginthesame
boat.However,althoughyoungpeoplesaid
theywouldsocialisewitheachother,therewas
areluctancetoopenuptoothersstayinginthe
hostel;theysaidtheywouldprefertokeeptheir
problemstothemselves.Onereasongivenfor
thiswasanawarenessthatothershadtheir
ownproblemstodealwithandsowouldnot
wanttohearaboutotherpeoplesdifculties.
Anotherreasonwasaninsistencethatthey
weretryingtomoveonanddidnotwantto
dwellonthepast.
Practical support
Aswellasemotionalsupport,participants
lookedtofamily,friendsandsupportservices
forpracticalsupportsuchasnancialhelp,
childcare,housingandleisurepursuits.
Familyandfriendsweresaidtoofferpractical
supportthroughhelpwithnancialdifculties
andchildcare.Bothyoungerandolder
participantsdiscussednancialhelptheyhad
beengivenbyfamilymembers.Youngpeople
discussedreceivingnancialhelpfromtheir
parents.Insomecasesthetableshadturned
andolder,unemployedparticipantshadbeen
offeredmoneybytheirchildren.Two
unemployedmen,oneofwhomwashomeless,
discussedtheembarrassmentofhavingtheir
teenagechildrenoffertobuythemnewshoes.
Althoughgratefulforthesupport,theyfeltit
shouldbethembuyingthingsfortheirchildren
andnottheotherwayaround.
Familyandfriendsalsoofferedassistancewith
childcare,somethingthatwascrucialtosingle
parentsasitmeanttimetoyourselftoescape.
Singleparentswithoutsuchsupportfromfamily
orfriendsdiscussedfeelingisolated.
A lot o people had this sort o [help
rom amily] every other weekend. Ive
never had that that sort o isolates
you urther in that you cannot, you
know, because i youve got a ree
weekend, it gives you a chance to start
a new lie and meet other people.
And so I remember thinking, Oh, I wish
Id had that, because I never had that help as sort o, babysitting or just a
bit o reedom or stepping in or
anything like that. Im very much kind
o a lone soldier.
(Woman, lone parent)
Supportservicesweresaidtoofferpractical
help,forexample,withhousingandarranging
activities.Althoughnotdiscusseddirectly,
organisationsthathadrecruitedunemployed
peopletotakepartintheresearchhadalso
helpedthemtondworkandapplyforjobs.
Accommodationhadbeenprovidedtomostof
thoseparticipatingwhoneededitbyvarious
charitableandvoluntaryorganisations.There
wereyoungpeople,unemployedpeopleand
ex-offenderswhowereeithercurrentlylivingin
hostelsorsupported/shelteredhousingorhad
doneatsomepoint.Thiswasseenashelping
peoplecopebygivingthemaroofovertheir
heads,therebymeetingabasicandimmediate
need.
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Drop-incentresandhostelsforhomeless
peopleanddrugaddictswerementionedas
offeringaccommodation,food,showersand
helpwithalcoholproblemsorgivingupdrugs.
Theimportanceofhavingastableenvironment
wasdiscussedashelpingpeopletocopewith
socialevilssuchaspoverty,crimeandviolence
anddrugsandalcohol.Onehomelessunemployedmandiscussedproblemshehad
facedinndingsomewheretostayashedid
nothaveadrugoralcoholproblemandsowas
noteligibletostayinmanyofthehostels.
Organisationsalsoprovidedpeoplewith
somethingtodo.Activitieswerearrangedfor
themsuchastripstomuseumsandtheme
parksorpotteryclasses.Loneparents
discussedtheseactivitiesasanopportunityto
getoutofthehouseandmixwithotheradults.
Childrenmightjoininorchildcaremightbe
arranged.
Someactivitiescouldbeconsideredanindirect
attempttochangebehaviour.Forexample,
thosewithalcoholanddrugaddictionsviewed
organisedsocialactivitiesasawayof
preventingthemfromdrinkingorusingdrugsas
itkeptthembusy.
I I were at home now, Id be on my
second and third pint so it gets me
out, getting me doing things, meeting
other people, instead o just sat at
home.
(Man, ex-oender)
Otheractivitiesonofferwereadirectattemptto
changebehaviour.Forexample,oneyoungman
talkedaboutangermanagementandrelaxation
coursesthathadbeenarrangedbytheYouth
OffendingTeam.Thetechniqueshehadlearnt
hadhelpedhimtostopbecomingovertlyangry
andaggressive.
People cope in dierent ways at dierent
times
Thegeneralconsensuswasthatdifferent
peoplehavedifferentwaysofcopingat
particularpointsintheirlives.Coping
mechanismstookbothpositiveandnegative
forms,forexampleescapismandventing
frustration,andwereusedbydifferentpeopleat
differenttimes.Althoughpersonal
circumstancesmightaffectthecoping
strategiesused,participantsalsodiscussed
individualchoicesandasenseofprideatnot
resortingtonegativeformsofcoping.
Thiswasespeciallythecasewithturningto
music,lmsandbookstoescapereality,rather
thandrugsandalcohol.
You couldnt get more stressed out
than me, panic attacks and everything,
but I still havent reduced mysel to
drugs and alcohol yet.
(Woman, carer)
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Again,whendiscussingthereleaseofbuilt-up
tension,participantsreportedhowpeoplecope
withsituationsindifferentways,someusing
positiveactivities,othersresortingtoviolence
andcrime.
[Dancing is] a good way to let o
steam instead o going out and
committing a crime or being violent
against someone that you dont know
or no reason whatsoever.
(Woman, carer)
Whentryingtomanagethesituationandcome
upwithsolutions,therewereparticipantswho
hadlookedtofamilyandfriendsorsupport
servicestohelpthemgettheirlifebackon
track,evenwhencommittingacrimemight
havebeenconsideredaneasieroption.
Howpeoplecopewasthereforesaidtodepend
ontheperson,aswellastheirsituation,
summedupbythiscomment:
Everyones gone through dierent
things in their lie. Everyone has their
own way o coping. You have amily
around you; you write it down on a
notepad; you sit and talk to someone.
Like people have therapy. You drink,
you smoke. Everyone has their own
way. It depends, with the person, it
depends how strong you are, mentally
and physically. Some people can go
through the maddest things you could
ever think o and they still cope with it,
without having to talk to anyone,
without having to go to another
country, without having to want to killthemsel, you know what I mean?
Everyone is like dierent, I think.
(Young man, living in a hostel)
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What should be done about socialevils?
Throughouttheworkshopsandgroup
discussionsparticipantswerealsoaskedwhat
couldorshouldbedonetoaddressthesocial
evilstheyfacedintheirday-to-daylives.When
discussingtheroleofothers,participantssawthetaskasprimarilybeingtheresponsibilityof
thegovernmentandpoliticians.Aneedfora
moresocietalapproachwasalsomentioned,
withthemediatakingmoreresponsibility,as
wellasbusiness/nancialandreligious
institutions.Theindividualwasalsoseentohave
anintegralparttoplayintacklingtodayssocial
evils.
Government and politicians
Bothgovernmentandpoliticianswereseenas
havingakeyandvariedroletoplayin
respondingtothedamageandmiserywhich
couldbecausedbysocialevils.Thiscould
involveactingasanenforcer,aneducatoranda
distributor.Theseroleswerenotseenas
mutuallyexclusive,buttherewasnoconsensus
aboutwhichwasthemostsignicant.They
tendedtoemergeoutofdiscussionaboutthe
perceivedfailuresofgovernment.
Theenforcementroleidentiedforgovernment
aroseinevitablyoutofpeoplesconcernsabout
lackofdiscipline,whichinturnrelatedtothe
declineofvaluesandcommunity.Forexample,
itwasarguedthatnotenoughwasdoneto
tackleantisocialbehaviour,particularlyamongst
youngpeople.However,itwasfeltthat
governmentsometimeswanteditbothways,
forexampleenforcingasmokingbanwhilst
raisingmoneyfromsmokingthroughtax
revenues.
I the government dont want us
smoking in certain areas why would
you sell us the product in the rst
place? Youre selling us a product that
says smoking kills. Youre still selling it.
(Young man, living in a hostel)
Theeducativeroleidentiedforgovernment
relatedprimarilytotheperceiveddeclineof
valuesandfamily.Itwasargued,forexample,
thatgovernmentshoulddomoretopromote
traditionalfamilyvaluesandensurethat
childrenandyoungpeoplelearntaboutvalues
bothathomeandinschool,asthis
conversationwithinagroupofloneparents
illustrates:
F: educating amilies, parents,
children about values and you know,
where they can go, give them a
direction in lie
Interviewer: So its not just education
in schools, its, because you mentioned
parents there and
F: Yeah, parents, yeah, adults and so
and so.
Interviewer: Where does that
happen?
F: Maybe to make it compulsory
to have parenting classes children
and maybe amily classes.
Thedistributiveroleofgovernmentwasborn
outofconcernsaboutavarietyofsocialevils,
includingpovertyandimmigration.Theseinturn
couldgiverisetocallsforgreaterfairnessand
prioritisation.Forexample,participants
underlinedtheimportanceofgovernment
playingaroleinensuringamoreequal
distributionofwealth.
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[Government have] obviously got
unding or housing, how much they
can allocate to each person per year,
whatever the budget is. And they must
have money or NHS and things like
that. Maybe they should equal it out
better.
(Young woman, living in a hostel)
Arelatedconcernherewasthatcutbacks
tendedtodisproportionatelyaffectthepoorest
insociety.Concernsabouttheperceived
unfairnessbroughtaboutbyimmigrationledto
callsforBritishpeoplesneedsandintereststo
beprioritised,asthisconversationbetween
youngpeoplelivinginahosteldemonstrates:
M: Theres a housing shortage
basically and all these houses are been
took up by immigrants
F: by people rom other countries,
why? Its our country, we should have
priority.
Thiswasaparticularissueforyoungpeople,
whowereconcernedaboutsecuringhousing
andfeltthisshouldbeagovernmentpriority:
Just think with that huge shopping
centre. They could have builtthousands o fats with that, but they
choose to build a shopping centre. Its
priorities, theyve got their priorities
completely wrong, and they dont care
enough.
(Young woman, living in a hostel)
Inadditiontothecollectiveroleidentiedfor
government,participantsfeltstronglythat
politicianshadanimportantindividualroleto
play.Thiscouldrelatetowhattheydid,how
theylivedandhowtheyrespondedtoothers.
Theunderlyingconcernwasoftenthat
politicianswereremotefromordinarypeoples
lives.Participantsarguedthatpoliticiansshouldlooktotheirownactionsandensurethatwhat
theydidsetanappropriateexample.Thiswas
relatedtoaviewthatpoliticiansshouldtake
responsibilityforpractisingwhatthey
preached.
Politicians [are] at the top o the ladder,
I mean, I know they do come under,
they do get some stick and I, I think
rightly so, because i youre setting
yoursel up that high and to take a job
with that amount o responsibility, they
deserve the fak that they get. I mean,
how can you have two sets o
standards?
(Man, lone parent)
Howpoliticianslivedwasfelttomatterinthe
sensethattheycouldlearnsomethingfrom
livingwithinordinarypeoplesmeans.Withinthe
differentgroups,respondentsdiscussedthe
ideathatonewayofmakingpoliticians
understandwastomakethemliveonbenets
forawhile,illustratedherebyaconversation
betweenagroupofcarers:
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M: Who was the guy that went and
lived on state benet or a week?
Interviewer: Michael Portillo.
M: Michael Portillo, now he did it or a
week he wants to try it or a year, not
a week because at the end o that
week he is, like, Im going home to my
big mansion with my big driveway.
F: And hes got something to look
orward to and he knows that he is
not going to be hungry and cold at the
end o that week Whereas i he had
to do it or longer then he wouldnt
have that thing to look orward to.
Therewaswidespreadconcernthatpoliticians
didnotlistenenoughandthattheyshoulddo
moretoensurethatpeopleknewthatthey
caredabouttheproblemstheyexperiencedin
theirday-to-daylives.
The government need to stop, listen
and take action.
(Woman, unemployed)
The media
Alongsidegovernment,theperceivedpower
androleofthemediatendedtoprovokethe
liveliestdiscussionamongstparticipants.This
focusedbroadlyonthreeissues:whatthe
mediadidwrong,theeffectthishadonsociety
andindividuals,andwhatshouldbedone
aboutit.
Therewasacommonviewthatthemediawas
selectiveandtendedtofocusonbadnews
includingviolence,sleazeandscandal,asthese
carersdiscussed:
M: [I] there is something good being
done the media doesnt want to know,
do you know what I mean?
F: They only want to know the bad
things.
M: Yes the sleaze and the scandal
and all this.
Asecondareaofconcernaboutmediafocus
relatedtotheglamorisationofcelebritiesand
celebritystatus,evenwheretheywereinvolved
insocialevilsthemselvessuchasdrugtaking
andviolence.
I think when youre talking about the
celebrity thing nowadays, you know, I
mean, everybodys a celebrity. You go
in the big [brother] house and you
come out a celebrity. These people are
nothing ... theyre not a positive role
model The press ollow them and
glamorise them, and then you see
young people are looking at themthinking is this good?
(Woman, lone parent)
Its the same with some o these
ootball stars ending up in trouble.
Okay, so theyve gone out and theyvegot in a ght. Okay, they shouldnt have
done it. Why is it spread across every
paper? So the kids are saying, hes a
great ootball player. Hes making all
this money He can get away with
that, you know? I its taken to court, it
doesnt matter, he can pay that.
(Man, lone parent)
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Thesethingswereseenashavinganegative
effectonsocietyinavarietyofways.For
examplethefocusonbadnewscouldleadto
lowmoraleandpromotefear.Similarlytoomuch
concentrationonthelivesofcelebritiescould
createunattainableaspirationsforordinary
people.Itcouldalsohaveanegativeeffecton
anindividualsidentity.Forexample,thecombinedeffectoftalkingupthelivesof
glamorouscelebritiesandtalkingdownpeople
sufferingfromobesityinthegeneralpopulation
couldbedamagingtopeoplesself-esteem.
Participantsfeltthatthesolutionlayinamore
responsiblemediawithmorebalanced
coverageofnewswhichwouldincludegood
newsstoriesaboutthesuccessesofordinary
people.
We want to hear nice things now and
again like the gentleman here was
saying, it would be nice to hear oh, Mrs
so and sos cat was helped and she is
really happy now There are so many
negatives in the press. I think its bad or
everybodys morale.
(Woman, carer)
Promote success stories every week
o some people, you know, not the
children that have necessarily gone othe rails but the ones that have done
some good in the community.
(Woman, lone parent)
Arelatedperspectivewasthatlocalmediahad
aparticularlyimportantroletoplayinproviding
informationandnewsofrelevancetolocal
communities.
Business and nancial institutions
Discussionoftheroleandresponsibilityofbusinessandnancialinstitutionsinrelationto
socialevilstendedtofocuslargelyonbanks
andcreditcompanies.Atthemostbasiclevel,
thenecessityofbanksatallwasquestionedby
participants,andtheirrelationshipwithpoverty
andconsumerismwasinterpretedasa
particularlydamagingcombination.Concern
wasexpressedabouttheroleofbanksand
creditcompaniesinrelationtomotivating
consumerismandtheeffectonthepoorest
peopleinsociety.
Poor areas renowned or low
income, unemployment and all the rest
o it, and that is where all these credit
card people hit. They go there
because they know these are low-
income amilies, they are unemployed
amilies, single mums, single dads,
whatever, you know, well get them a
credit card.
(Man, carer)
Participantsviewedbanksasbothtaking
advantageoftheaspirationsofthemost
vulnerablepeopleinsocietyand
disproportionatelypenalisingpoorerpeoplewho
wereexperiencingproblemswithdebt.Thiswas
consideredespeciallyproblematicinthecontext
ofthelevelofprotsbankswereseentomake.
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You havent got a job, you cant get a
bank account, you cant set up a direct
debit and that way you are penalised
youve not set up a direct debit, theyre
going to charge an extra 3 to pay that
bill and the government in my
opinion, you know, and all these big
credit companies are doing nothing,
nothing to get people out o it.
(Man, carer)
Wherebigbusinesswasdiscussedmore
widely,theotherissuethatemergedwasits
effectonsmallbusiness,forexamplethe
damagingeffectofsupermarkets(Tescowas
singledout)onsmalllocaltraders.Thiswas
implicitlyseenascontributingtoadeclineof
community.Participantsviewsabout
supermarketswerenotwhollynegative,
however,anditwasacceptedthattheydid
theirbitforthecommunityinsomeinstances.
Moregenerally,businesswasseenashavingan
importantroletoplayinrelationtolocal
communities,bothbyinvestinginlocal
infrastructureandinitiativesandincreating
sustainableemploymentopportunities,
particularlyforyoungpeople.
Big businesses should be investing in
the local community more because
they dont do much o that.
(Woman, lone parent)
There should be [an] incentive
scheme or [big businesses] taking on
children, straight out o school, with the
promise o an apprenticeship or some
sort o trade in hand that they can
move the next step up.
(Woman, lone parent)
Religious institutions
Althoughreligiousbeliefemergedasan
individualcopingmechanism,asdescribed
underCopingwithsocialevils,discussionofthe
roleofreligiousinstitutionsinsocietywasless
prominent.Althoughsomeparticipantsfeltthat
theyhadaroletoplay,particularlyinpromoting
values,othersquestionedtheirrelevancein
todayssociety.Therewasanimplicit
acceptancehoweverthattheymayhavegreater
relevanceinparticularminorityethnic
communities.
Notwithstandingthisgeneralambivalence,there
wasaviewthatreligionhadaroletoplay.For
example,itwassuggestedthattheChristian
churchcoulddomoretoputthemoralbre
backinsociety.Anexamplegivenwasits
potentialroleinrelationtoeducatingyoung
peopleaboutvalues.
The church should do a lot more
Put the moral bre back into Britain
because its gone. As ar as Imconcerned, Britains kaput. It hasnt
been great or about 40 years.
(Woman, unemployed)
Howeverthevalueofseculareducationandthe
roleofreligiousinstitutionsinthisrespectwere
notseenasmutuallyexclusive.
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The role o the individual
Inadditiontodiscussionoftherolesand
responsibilitiesofbiginstitutions,theroleofthe
individualinrelationtosocialevilsstimulateda
lotofdiscussion.Thiswasseparatefrom,but
clearlyrelatedto,thewayinwhichindividuals
copedwithsocialevilsintheirday-to-daylives.Therewasastrongsensethatparticipants
acrossthegroupsfeltthatindividualactionhad
aroletoplayalongsidethatoftheinstitutions
discussedabove.
Implicitinpeoplesaccountswasasensethat
personalresiliencewasimportantinrelationto
theproblemsrepresentedbyandcreatedby
socialevils.Thisinvolvedpersonalresponsibility
andpersonalaspiration.
I think that every citizen should realise
that they have rights, but they also
have responsibilities and it should be
impressed on everybody that they
might have the right to do something,
but they also have a responsibility to
everybody else to do it in a civilised
way.
(Woman, carer)
Its up to us to change our lives. Thats
the way I see it, yeah? I dont care howhard your lie has been, whatever
youve been [through] everyone can
turn around their lie.
(Young man, living in a hostel)
Therewasacommonlyheldbeliefthatrights
needtobeseeninthecontextofresponsibilities
and,indeed,needtobeshapedbythem,for
exampleintermsoftheboundariessetby
parentsfortheirchildren.Parentsandother
individualswereseenashavingaresponsibility
toactaspositiverolemodelstoyoungpeople
Personalaspirationinparticularsatalongside
theimportanceoftolerance(includinglearning
fromandrespectingdifferentcultures)and
altruism.Therewasanemergingsensethat
peopleneedtostrikeabalancebetweentheseforces,thatbeingmoresatisedcouldbe
combinedwithbeinglessmaterialistic.
Theresponsibilitiesandaspirationsof
individualswereseentoextendbeyondtheir
ownlives.Theimportanceofindividualsworking
collectivelytoinuencebiginstitutionssuchas
governmentwasnoted.However,therewere
alsoperceivedlimitstotheefcacyofindividual
action,evenwhenexpressedcollectively.This
waspartlydiscussedintermsofself-imposed
limitsbyindividuals,forexample,becauseofa
lackofwill,andpartlyintermsoflimitson
individuals,forexample,becauseclasscould
stillinuencewhoisactuallyheardinsociety.
None o us are posh. I you can hear
the way were speaking, weve got a bit
o a [regional] accent So i we went
to the Houses o Parliament, they
would not listen to us at all.
(Young woman, living in a hostel)
Anditalsorelatedtolimitstothepowerof
ordinarypeopletoinuencestructuraland
politicalchange,asthisconversationbetween
twocarershighlights:
F: Its very dicult because individual
people eel incapable o [making a
dierence], but I think nowadays
people power is becoming more
evident. You get marches. You dont
think it is?
M: I mean they highlight a cause, but I
dont think they solve it. I mean youve
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got the stu going on here with Tibet at
the moment, I mean youd think China
would sit up and listen but they dont ..
Its like the war in Iraq, they do marches,
you highlight a cause but whats
done about it? At the end o the day
nothing, they are still ghting Iraq. Theyare still occupying Tibet.
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Conclusion
The participants and the problems
Thosewhotookpartinthisphaseofthe
researchhadexperienceofarangeof
interconnectedsocialproblems,whichhad
resultedinlimited,lostorwastedopportunities.Thisconclusionconsidershowvaryinglevelsof
controlover,andresponsibilityfor,truncated
opportunitiesinterplayedwithpeoples
acceptanceandnon-acceptanceofsocialevils.
Distinctionscanalsobemadebetweenwhether
peoplehadsuccumbedto,orresisted,social
evils,whethertheylookedtotheindividualor
thecollectiveforsolutionsand,ultimately,how
andwhethertheycopedwithparticular
situations.However,itisimportanttoremember
thatthesedistinctionsarenotmutuallyexclusive
butareinterwovenandcomplex.
Asinphaseoneoftheresearch,itwasclearthat
thetensocialevilswereinterconnectedinboth
theperceptionsandexperiencesofparticipants
experiencesofonesocialevilcouldleadto
anotherandcontinueinaperpetuatingcycle.
Participantsweretypicallyvulnerableandsocially
excludedandgenerallycamefromlowersocio-
economicbackgroundsandhadexperienced
inequality,eitherthroughoutoratcertainstages
oftheirlives.Theydescribedafeelingoflivingin
aworldfullofrecurrentandchallengingsocial
problems.Asaresult,theywereabletodescribe
theteninterrelatedsocialevilsinrelationtoboth
theirownpersonalexperiencesandthoseof
familyandfriends,aswellasreectonsocietyas
awhole.
Experiences o and reactions to social evils
Ageandlifeexperiencewerefoundtohavethe
biggestimpactonexperiencesof,andreactions
to,socialevils.Youngpeoplegenerallytendedto
looktothefutureandhavehigheraspirations
andbetterexpectations.Youngpeople,ex-
offendersandunemployedpeopletendedtobe
moreinclinedtoturntonegativecoping
mechanisms,suchasdrugsandalcohol,than
carersandloneparents.However,therewere
alsodifferenceswithinthesesub-groups,as
reactionstosocialevilsvariedfromone
participanttoanother,andfromonesituationto
another.Akeyoverarchingfactorwhichemerged
wastheextenttowhichparticipantsfelttheyhad
anypowerorcontroloverparticularsituations.
Control, responsibility and acceptance/non-acceptance o social evils
Thenotionoftruncatedopportunitieswhich
emergedinphaseonere-emergedduring
phasetwo,withsocialevilsresultingin,and
arisingoutof,bothinternalandexternal
constraints.Opportunitieshadnotonlybeen
limitedatthebeginningoflife,forexamplebeing
bornintopoverty,butlostorwastedthroughout
lifebecauseofcircumstances(e.g.thedeathof
apartner)orpersonalactions(e.g.drugand
alcoholaddictions).Varyinglevelsofcontrol,
responsibilityandacceptance oftruncated
opportunitieshadimpactedonresponsesto
socialevils.Thislevelofcontroland
responsibilitycouldinuencewhetherornot
peopleacceptedthesocialevilsinsocietyand
theirpersonalsituations,ordidnotacceptthem
andtriedtochangetheirsituationorinuence
thedirectionofsocietyasawhole.However,
truncatedopportunitieswererecognisedas
impactingonapersonsabilitytochangetheir
individualsituationorinuencethosewhocould
makeadifference.
Feelingatalosstochangethesituation,
participantsmightignoretheirconcerns,
succumbtosocialevilsorresistsocialevilsand
looktomorepositiveformsofescapismand
ventingfrustration.Thosewhofeltunableto
controltheirsituationonoccasionignoredthe
situation,bydistractingthemselves,blocking
outtheiremotionsorrefusingtolooktoofarinto
thefuture.Unabletocontrolthesituation,
womeninparticulardiscussedhowtheywould
controltheiremotionsinstead.Acceptingthe
situation,theywouldsuppresstheiremotionsso
thatdailylifecouldcontinue.Whenolderpeople
feltalackofcontrol,lowerexpectationsand
aspirationsresultedinnotlookingtoofarahead
andjusttakingonedayatatime.Older
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participantsweretypicallymoreinclinedto
acceptlimitedopportunities,bothinthepresent
andthefuture.
Anotherresponsetofeelingalackofcontrol
andresponsibilitywastosuccumbtosocial
evils.Livinginpoverty,withlimitedopportunities
forimprovementintheirnancialsituationandalackoffamilysupport,resultedinyoungpeople,
ex-offendersandunemployedpeopleturningto
drugsandalcoholorviolenceasawayof
coping.Ultimately,however,thesenegative
formsofescapismandventingfrustrationcould
beviewedasevidencethatpeoplearenot
coping,butsimplyacceptingthesituationand
ndingareleaseforthefrustrationandsenseof
lossofopportunityleftbehind.
Morepositiveformsofescapismandventing
frustrationcouldalsobeusedinresponseto
feelingpowerlesstochangeasituationor
society.Acceptingthesituationortheexistence
ofsocialevilscouldsimplymeanndingavent
forthefrustrationleftbehind,through,for
example,writingorexercising.Participants
discussedwithasenseofpridehowtheydid
notsuccumbbutresistedsocialevilsand
insteadlookedtomusic,dance,readingand
lmtoescapereality.Suchcopingstrategies
werecommonlyemployedbycarersin
particularandgenerallyemployedbythose
willingandabletolookatthebiggerpicture,
thosewhoturnedtoreligionorthosewho
rememberedtherewereothersintheworldina
worsesituation.
Changing personal situations
Afeelingofcontrolandresponsibilitycould
resultinpeoplenotacceptingtheirsituationand
makinganattempttochangeitindividually,or
lookingtootherstoworktochangeit
collectively.Thosewhofelttheyhadsome
controlandwereresponsibleforchangingtheir
personalsituationmighttryandndemotional
orpracticalsupportinordertodoso.This
couldmeanndinghelptocopeordealwith
socialevils,throughfamilyandfriendsor
supportservices.Notacceptingthesituation
couldalsomeanhavingaspirationsforabetter
qualityoflife.Theseaspirationswereoften
discussedbyyoungpeople,whotalkedabout
ndinglove,gettingmarriedandstartinga
familyoftheirownasasolutiontoacurrentlack
offamilysupport.Thiscontrastedwiththe
viewpointsofolderpeoplewithlower
aspirations,whoweremoreinclinednottothinkaboutthefuture.Therewerealsoyoungpeople
whodiscussededucationandacareeras
leadingtoabetternancialsituationand
thereforebetterqualityoflife.Educationwas
seenasakeyescaperoutefromundesirable
situations.
However,therewasanacceptancethat
truncatedopportunitiesmadetheseaspirations
hardertoreachandresultedinsomepeople
turningtocrimeinordertochangetheir
situations.Peopleweresaidtoturntoalternative
lifestylesinordertoachievetheiraspirationsif
theycouldnotbeachievedbylegalmeans.
Crimeallowedpeopletofeeltheycouldgain
controlofasituationthattheyotherwisefeltno
powerover.Therewasadegreeofacceptance
amongstthosewhotookpartintheresearch
thatlimitedopportunitiesoftenresultinpeople
turningtocrime,eithertomeetbasic
necessitiesduetopoverty,ortoachievewhat
wasotherwiseconsideredtobeoutofreach.
Materialaspirationsthatwereunobtainable
withoutturningtocrimewereseenasaresultof
aconsumersociety,individualismandgreed
demonstratingfurtherlinksbetweentheten
socialevils.
Infuencing society and the political agenda
Forthosewhofelttheycouldindividually
inuencesocietyasawhole,taking
responsibilitycouldinvolveattemptingto
inuenceotherpeopleinsocietyinapositive
way,forexampleencouragingyoungpeopleto
respectothers,ortryingtoinuenceresponsible
bodies,suchasgovernmentandbigbusiness.
Loneparentsinparticularfeltresponsiblefor
encouragingtheirchildrentounderstandright
andwrong,inasocietywherevalueswere
consideredtobedeclining.Therewasa
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commonbeliefexpressedbyparticipantsthat
alongsiderightswereresponsibilities.Inorderto
bearesponsiblecitizen,aspirationsmustbe
balancedbyaltruismandtolerance,possibly
resultinginpeopleholdinglessmaterialistic
values.Beingresponsiblewasalsofeltto
extendbeyondthelifeoftheindividual,to
joiningthecollectivetoputpressureonbiginstitutions.Thisnon-acceptanceofsocialevils
was
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