Disengaged Battlers

Disengaged Battlers are focused on the everyday struggle for survival. They have work, but often it is insecure or involves irregular hours. They tend to feel disconnected from other people, and many say they have given up on the system altogether. They are less connected to others in their local area as well, and are the only group where a majority felt that they have been alone during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although life is tough for Disengaged Battlers, they blame the system, not other people. Disengaged Battlers mostly do not pay much attention to news, but if they do it is most likely to be through the BBC, The Daily Mirror, The Metro, or commercial radio news.

Top priorities: Inequality, immigration, pensions

Compared to other groups

• Disengaged Battlers have the highest feelings of disengagement and unhappiness across a range of measures. They are most likely to say they feel lonely (23 per cent v 13 per cent average) and anxious (35 per cent v 22 per cent average) most of the time
• Less likely to be confident that once we’re through the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic we will create a fairer society (30 per cent v 45 per cent average)
• Less likely to vote (29 per cent did not vote in the last election, the highest of any segment, compared to a population average of 17 per cent). Those who  did vote tended to support Labour, although a quarter voted Conservative.
• Most likely to think that politicians do not care about people like them (87 per cent v 76 per cent average)
• They are almost twice as likely to often need to borrow money from their friends (20 per cent v 12 per cent average)
• Least likely to say it is ‘very important’ that the UK remains united as a country (25 per cent v 35 per cent average)
• More likely to believe that white people have advantages over ethnic minorities (64 per cent agree v 60 per cent average)
• Most  ethnically diverse population group, with 77 per cent being white (v 84 per cent average)

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