Better social mobility could boost British GDP by £600 per person

● Only 41% think people have equal opportunities to get ahead in life

There is growing uncertainty among the public that everyone has the same chances to be successful in life, according to a poll.

A new study suggests that people are increasingly pessimistic about opportunities for the younger generation - with many saying they think youngsters today will be worse off than their parents’ generation.

The findings, published by the Sutton Trust, come as researchcommissionedbythe charity indicates that improving social mobility – giving everyone equal chances to get on in life – could boost the UK’S GDP by almost £600 per person.

Overall, the survey, which questioned around 2,000 adults, found that just twofifths (41 per cent) agree that people have equal opportunities to get ahead, compared to more than half (53 per cent) who said the same in 2008.

In addition, almost half (46 per cent) of those polled said they feel that today’s youth will have a worse life than their parents’ generation.

Three in ten (29 per cent) thought that youngsters will have a better life and around a fifth (21 per cent) thought it would be about the same.

Asked what they thought was needed to help someone get on in life, seven in (70 per

0 Most people think knowing the right people is important in addition to having ambition cent) thought that knowing the right people was important, followed by having a good education (68 per cent) and having well-educated parents (64 per cent).

Some 60 per cent thought that having ambition was important while 50 per cent placed importance on coming from a wealthy family.

Research by economic consultancy Oxera for the Sutton Trust examined levels of social mobility in differing European nations, looking at issues such as individual income, parents’ education and how well someone’s job matched their skills.

Sutton Trust chairman Sir Peter Lampl, said: “Britain has very low social mobility compared to other countries. At the Sutton Trust, we have been working to improve social mobility for the last 20 years. Although progress has been made, much more needs to be done.

“The government should make improving social mobility a top priority.”