Today

Almost half of British adults would wind back the clock at least 30 years if given the choice to live in a different decade.

Asked to choose which time period in the UK from 1967-2017 they would prefer to live in, two-thirds chose dates in the past.

The findings come from an online survey of British adults that explored attitudes toward the past and present, commissioned by JWT, the fourth largest advertising agency network in the world.

Ann Mack, Director of Trendspotting at JWT, commented: "This is one of those times in the UK when it feels like the arc of another decade has drawn to a close."

"It’s been 10 years since New Labour was voted in on a wave of optimism and Princess Diana died. With a new prime minister in 10 Downing Street, this is an ideal moment for us to take stock of the nation’s mood, both past and present."

The survey suggests that the majority of residents in the UK do not feel confident in the present era, and fingers would surely begin to point at the government to question why this is.

When asked to rate how the UK is doing right now, just 1% of respondents said 'excellent', 23% said 'poor'; a majority chose 'fair' (54%), and an upbeat 23% chose 'very well'.

Just 12% agreed that "We are leaving our children a better world than our parents left to us". 63% disagreed with this statement.

Music and fashion were certainly part of the appeal, but respondents also saw the past as a simpler, less stressful time, characterised by a greater sense of security, morality, freedom and community.

A man in the 45-49 age group gave his reasons why the past was a better time to live in: "The economy was more stable, crime was low, people lived in communities and cared for those that lived in their community."

"Jobs were available for everybody, illicit drugs were rare, gun crime was extremely rare, the cost of living was far cheaper, politicians were not as corrupt, politicians had a high moral standing and were an example to follow, and society had a high moral standard compared with today."

Respondents were given a list of key events in recent history and asked to say which had the most impact overall. One quarter (25%) opted for the war in Iraq, closely followed by 22% for Thatcherism (the government and legacy of Margaret Thatcher).

After that came European Union membership (18%), the July 2005 London bombings (16%), New Labour (10%), Princess Diana’s death (9%) and the dot-com meltdown (1%).

Specific areas of concern about the UK were apparent from respondents’ perceptions of how the country is viewed by others. Asked whether other countries look up to or down on the UK across a number of areas, the verdict was net positive in 12 areas, led by "historical legacy, traditions and cultural heritage" (net positive 72%), "current and contemporary culture" (41%) and "protecting human rights" (34%).

Problem areas were those where perceptions netted out clearly negative: "government and politics" (net negative 18%), "foreign policy" (25%), "racial tensions"(36%) and, above all, "immigration policy" (47%).

Ann Mack concludes: "It’s tempting to see this survey as yet another example of the British being stuck-in-the-past pessimists and perpetual gripers but we also see a lot of idealism there, a longing for the sort of values the British aspire to: tolerance, fairness, decency and mutual respect."

"Much of the apparent negativity is actually frustration over disappointed hopes and anger that these values seem to have been lost by society and betrayed by politicians."

The question remains, yet to be answered: How can Gordon Brown restore some confidence in the government?