Few would argue that Britain's most severe social problems cannot be solved by government alone, whether it be life-controlling addictions, family breakdown or worklessness.
David Cameron has long championed 'social responsibility'. Each of us, individually and collectively, is rightly called on to do our bit for society. If citizens step up to the mark, it will be much easier to tackle poverty and devolve power from central government to local communities and families.
Agreed. But what if people don't want the hassle? Sobering new research by YouGov for NCVO indicates that 88% of people agree there is a social divide in the UK and two-thirds think it will get worse in the next five years. However only 23% would be prepared to get involved in their community to help the poorest and contribute to bridging that divide.
All is not lost - a further 34% were non-committal about whether they would get involved in their community, suggesting that they might be persuaded with the right support and encouragement. The civil society agenda Cameron has set out offers hope of reversing, or at least slowing, the trend towards a more atomised, individualistic and selfish nation. However these figures show the scale of the challenge in getting people to start taking more responsibity and care for each other.
