Social Changes Flashcards
What are the social changes
Changing public perception
Demographic changes
Cultural changes
What is an example of changing public perceptions
Drink driving
Explain drink driving
Laws can change because of changing public
perceptions towards a behaviour. Drink
driving is an example of this. Over time,
views about drink driving have changed and
this has led to changes in laws and policies.
The public have come to see it as much more serious and laws
governing it have become tighter. In 1925, the first law was passed
making driving while drunk an offence. However, there was no clear
definition of ‘drunk’ and no legal limit on how much alcohol drivers
could have in their blood. It was left to the police and courts to
decide if someone was fit to drive. For many years, public attitudes
to drink driving were quite tolerant and it was not generally thought
of as a serious offence. Governments showed little interest and did
not even bother to collect figures on the number of deaths caused
by drink driving. Meanwhile, car ownership was increasing. In 1951,
only 15% of households owned a car, but by 1971 this had risen to
55%. This resulted in more deaths: from about 5000 in 1950 to 8000
by the 1960s.
Why have public perceptions about drink driving changed
Due to the increased ownership of cars, the public perception of
drink driving began to change. Road safety became more of a public
concern and began to move up the political agenda. For example,
from 1966 all new cars had to be fitted with seatbelts. Due to public
concern about accidents caused by drink driving, the 1967 Road
Safety Act introduced a blood alcohol limit of 80mg of alcohol per
100ml of blood. It became an offence to be in charge of a motor
vehicle with an alcohol level above this limit
The first TV advertising campaign against drink driving mounted by
the government was aired over 50 years ago and the fall in deaths
is partly due to these campaigns. They have sometimes targeted
specific groups who are most at risk of drink driving, such as young
men. The campaigns have been an important factor in changing
public perceptions of drink driving as a crime. For example, in 1979,
half of all male drivers admitted drink driving at least once a week.
However, by 2014, a survey by the government’s THINK! campaign
against drink driving showed there has been a massive change in
people’s attitudes. The survey found that 91% of people agreed that
drink driving was unacceptable and 92% said they would feel
ashamed if they were caught drinking and driving. However, road
safety campaigns, such as Brake, argue that the government needs
to go further. One in eight road deaths still involve a driver over the
alcohol limit and England and Wales have the highest level of
alcohol limit in Europe. Brake call for it to be lowered to 20mg. Their
survey in 2016 found that over half of drivers agreed
How have perceptions about drink driving changed
Breatherlizes
In 1968, the first breathalysers were introduced for
roadside use. Together with a major advertising
campaign by the government, this helped to reduce
road deaths by over 1100 and serious injuries by over
11000. Importantly, the proportion of accidents
where alcohol was involved also fell from 25% to 15%
Tougher laws
In 1983, the High-Risk Offender scheme was introduced for
convicted drivers with an alcohol problem. This group includes
drivers who have been disqualified more than once for drink driving.
They now have to undergo a medical before they can get their
license back. In 1991 a new offence of causing death while driving
under the influence of alcohol or drugs was introduced, with a
compulsory prison sentence of up to 5 years (increased to 14 years
in 2014). The penalty for a first drink driving offence is now up to
six months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine and a driving ban for
at least one year, with heavier penalties for repeat offenders. The
new laws and tougher sentences reflect growing public intolerance
of drink driving. Deaths from accidents including alcohol have been
falling over the long term, largely due to higher restrictions on drink
driving. Now only about 5% of road casualties involve alcohol,
reflecting the publics lack of tolerance regarding drink driving.
Why did demographic change lead to policy development
During the 1950s and 1960s, non-white immigrants came from former British colonies in the
Caribbean, the Indian subcontinent and Africa. More recently, people have come from Eastern
Europe. Mostly these groups came in search of economic opportunities, often filling jobs that the
British refused to take. As a result, the UK’s demographic (population) structure has changed to
a multi-ethnic one.
The windrush generation
The early arrivals, known as The Windrush Generation, faced hostility,
with many White people holding racist stereotypes of Black people as
being dirty, diseased or criminal
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, immigrants were often met with
discrimination in housing, employment and public services
In 1956, a survey in Birmingham found that only 1.5% of Whites would
be willing to let a room to a Black tenant
A BBC documentary found churches turning away Black families to
avoid upsetting White worshippers
At the time, it was legal to discriminate against a person on the
grounds of race. This led to exploitation by landlords letting slum
housing to immigrants, who frequently could only get low-paid, low-
skilled jobs, even when well qualified
How has demographic change led to policy development
Race relations act
As a result of the widespread racial discrimination, a Race Relations Act
was passed in 1965. This banned racial discrimination in public places and
made the promotion of hatred on grounds of ‘colour, race, or ethnic or
national origins’ an offence
A further Race Relations Act in 1968 outlawed discrimination in the key
areas of employment, housing and public services
Both Acts were replaced by the 1976 Race Relations Act, which
significantly strengthened the law by extending it to cover both direct and
indirect discrimination
In 2010, the Race Relations Act was replaced by the Equality Act, which
brought together laws on racial, sex, age and disability discrimination. It is
overseen by the Equality and Human Rights Commission
How have cultural changes led to policy development
LBGTQ rights in the UK have changed dramatically in recent times in line
with changes in society’s culture and values. As society’s norms and
values change, the culture within society changes. Over time society’s
norms and values change, and the law needs to change to reflect this.
• 1533 – Buggery Act - made sex between two men illegal
• 1885 – Extension of the law, any relationship between men made
illegal
• 1967 – Sexual Offences Act – homosexuality legalised for men
ages 21 and over
• 1988 – s.28 – Thatcher banned local authorities and schools from
‘promoting homosexuality’
• 2000 – Age of consent lowered to 16 and equalised to
heterosexual age
• 2013 – Same Sex Marriage Act
Why has cultural changes led to policy development
- Cultural changes to norms, values and mores (why)
Secularisation - This refers to the declining influence of religion
in people’s lives, attitudes and values. Religions have generally
opposed homosexuality, often violently. However, religion today
wields much less influence than in the past – less than half of
Britons now believe in God. As a result, religious condemnation
of homosexuality carries much less weight and in fact, some
churches have softened their attitudes, even permitting gay
priests.
2.Individualism - This is the belief that individuals should have the
right to choose how they live their lives, so long as they do no
harm to others. It has become a central value in today’s culture
and can be seen in many areas of life and the law, such as
divorce, abortion and sexual preferences.
3.(Equal) rights - This is the belief that individuals should have the
right to choose how they live their lives, so long as they do no
harm to others. It has become a central value in today’s culture
and can be seen in many areas of life and the law, such as
divorce, abortion and sexual preferences.
