How people think about wealth inequality has changed

Wealth inequality is deeply entrenched across the UK. Fifty families now hold more wealth than the poorest half of the population – over 34 million people. At the same time, more of us are struggling to pay our bills, heat our homes, and put food on the table.

For advocates, the solution is clear: addressing Britain’s ‘wealth gap’ and its consequences must be a priority for our government. And this means taking bold action to redistribute and reinvest wealth in our communities – from greater taxation at the very top, to the radical redesign of local and national economies.

Making change at this scale requires us to understand cultural mindsets: the deep patterns of thinking that shape how we see the world and how we act within it. If we understand not only what, but also how people think about wealth and wealth disparities, we can communicate in ways that build both understanding and demand for change.

Over the last seven years, the way we think about wealth has changed. As part of FrameWorks UK’s 2025 Moving Mindsets programme, we investigated how people think about wealth disparities in a tracking survey and series of focus groups. This research revealed that we are at an inflection point: a moment that presents both an opportunity and challenge. Old mindsets are being applied in new, more systemic ways – and more solutions-focused mindsets have emerged.

This briefing contains three insights to help communicators make the most of this moment, based on qualitative and quantitative research with a representative sample of over 7,500 members of the British public.