The government has published its annual guide to Living in Britain in 2020.
Among its data are these facts:
- average households have shrunk from 2.91 people in 1971 to 2.48 in 1991 and 2.36 in 1998;
- 92% of families with children were headed by a married couple in 1971, compared with 75% in 1998;
- the proportion of the population aged over 75 has almost doubled from 4% in 1971 to 7% in 1991, since when this figure has remained steady;
- half of homes were owner-occupier in 1971. This grew to two-thirds in the 1980s and has not changed much since;
- households with access to a car have grown from 52% in 1972 to 72% in 1998;
- households with access to cars have grown from 9% in 1972 to 28% in 1998;
- homes with a refrigerator have grown from 73% in 1972 to 92% by the end of the 1970s.
There are also sections on pensions, health, smoking, drinking and contraception.
Living in Britain. Survey by the Social Survey Division of National Statistics. 287 pages. HMSO £39.50.
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