More Effective Social Protection for Stronger Economic Growth: United Kingdom
Table of contents
The OECD’s Risks that Matter (RTM) Survey has offered data-driven insights into people’s risk perceptions and preferences for social protection since 2018. Today, respondents in the United Kingdom are less worried than the OECD average about most social and economic risks, with one exception: accessing good-quality healthcare.
As technology changes labour markets, respondents in the United Kingdom anticipate positive and negative impacts at levels similar to the OECD average (Figure 1). Concerns about negative impacts contribute to demands for social protection. As elsewhere, respondents in the United Kingdom support investment in training and education. Compared to the OECD average, respondents in the United Kingdom are notably more supportive of migration of skilled workers, taxes on robots and/or technology and basic income (Figure 2).
Longer life expectancy and declining fertility contribute to population ageing, with negative implications for economic growth and the financing of social protection. Respondents in the United Kingdom are similarly concerned about population ageing as the OECD average. Reflecting this, respondents in the United Kingdom express a similar level of support for measures to increase labour supply, especially among women and underrepresented groups, and increase technology use. People in the United Kingdom are more supportive of measures to boost migration, but less supportive of measures to boost fertility (Figure 3).
Population ageing and competing demands for resources are narrowing the fiscal space for social programmes. These changes are taking place against a backdrop of high levels of debt, a high-interest rate environment, and declining public willingness to pay for social protection. In the United Kingdom, willingness to pay 2% more for better social protection has remained relatively stable since the last wave of the survey in 2022 for most policy areas, but notable declines are observed for pensions, public safety and health (Figure 4).
Share (%) predicting selected impacts from digitalisation over the next five years, United Kingdom and OECD average, 2024
Note: Labels simplified from original questions. See Figure 1.5 in main report.
Source: 2024 OECD Risks that Matter Survey (https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/oecd-risks-that-matter-rtm-survey.html).
Share (%) supporting specified actions as a response to digitalisation, United Kingdom and OECD average, 2024
Note: Labels simplified from original questions. See Figure 2.1 in main report.
Source: 2024 OECD Risks that Matter Survey (https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/oecd-risks-that-matter-rtm-survey.html).
Share (%) of respondents who support specified actions to population ageing, United Kingdom and OECD average, 2024
Note: Labels simplified from original questions. LFP refers to labour force participation. See Figure 2.4 in main report.
Source: 2024 OECD Risks that Matter Survey (https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/oecd-risks-that-matter-rtm-survey.html).
Share (%) willing to pay 2% more for better social and public benefits, by policy area, United Kingdom, 2018-24
Note: Questions may have changed slighted year-over-year. Labels simplified from original questions. See Figure 3.1 in main report.
Source: OECD Risks that Matter Survey (https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/oecd-risks-that-matter-rtm-survey.html).
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The full book is available in English: OECD (2025), More Effective Social Protection for Stronger Economic Growth: Main Findings from the 2024 Risks that Matter Survey, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/3947946a-en.
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