DEFINING FAIRNESS
What is fairness?
In late 2021 we proposed five FAIR NECESSITIES as the basis for a fair society:
FAIR ESSENTIALS / Everyone should have their basic needs met so that no one lives in poverty, and everyone can play a constructive role in society
FAIR OPPORTUNITIES / Everyone should have a decent chance to succeed in life, so we should remove the key barriers that prevent people from having equal opportunities
FAIR REWARDS / Everyone’s hard work should be rewarded on the basis of their contribution to our society and economy
FAIR EXCHANGE / Everyone should contribute to society by paying the taxes that they owe, and in return they should be supported by society when they need it
FAIR TREATMENT / Everyone should be treated according to need, enjoying equal respect and equal influence on decisions made in their name
AUDIENCE RESEARCH
What do the public think?
We ran a nationally representative survey of 3,140 adults across Britain in April 2022 to ask what people thought of our definition of fairness. The survey results showed that there is very strong public support for these five ‘fair necessities’, with 74% agreeing or strongly agreeing with them overall.
Visualisation made with flourish.studio
MEASURING FAIRNESS
Do we live in a fair society?
The Fairness Index aims to measure how far the five ‘fair necessities’ have been realised in the UK.
Each ‘fair necessity’ can be posed as a test, and in each case we have identified a corresponding measure in the form of the most obvious ‘gap’. We have selected three indicators to assess each of the gaps.
FAIR ESSENTIALS
TEST: Can everyone meet their basic needs?
MEASURE: How big is the wealth and poverty gap?
INDICATORS
Percentage of wealth held by the richest 20% and poorest 20%
Percentage of people living in poverty
Percentage of people unable to afford an acceptable standard of living
FAIR OPPORTUNITIES
TEST: Does everyone have a fair chance to succeed?
MEASURE: How big is the disadvantage gap in education?
INDICATORS
GCSE attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils
Difference between percentage of disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils who go to university
Difference between percentage of disadvantaged and privately educated graduates who become top quintile earners
FAIR REWARDS
TEST: Is everyone rewarded fairly for their work?
MEASURE: How big are labour market gaps?
INDICATORS
Pay gaps between CEOs and average employees
Gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps
Percentage of employees paid less than the real Living Wage
FAIR EXCHANGE
TEST: Does everyone pay their fair share of taxes?
MEASURE: How big is the tax contribution gap?
INDICATORS
Difference between the effective average tax rates of top earners and median earners
Difference between council tax bills as a percentage of net income for rich and poor
Difference between the enforcement of tax fraud and benefits fraud
FAIR TREATMENT
TEST: Is everyone treated according to need?
MEASURE: How big is the health gap?
INDICATORS
Healthy life expectancy gap between rich and poor
Percentage of homes that are classified as non-decent
Difference in the percentage of people waiting more than one year for NHS treatment
DRILLING DOWN
How can we make sense of these numbers?
For each ‘fair necessity’, alongside the headline indicators and a brief discussion of each, the Fairness Index looks at the underlying issues:
The statistics behind them (e.g. regional and group breakdowns and overseas comparisons)
The substance of the issues (causes and consequences)
The real-life stories that sit alongside the numbers
The survey data that tells us about public attitudes to the issues
The solutions that will enable us to build a fairer society
MEASURING GAPS
How can I use this resource?
The Fairness Index seeks to understand the causes, nature and consequences of a variety of gaps:
The gaps between rich and poor and different groups and regions (economic, political, social), and how these reinforce each other and accumulate over time
The gaps between reality, public perceptions of reality, and public views about what is fair
The gaps in the evidence: the key indicators that aren’t measured
FIND OUT MORE
The Fairness Index will be launched on 19 October 2022.
