ABSTRACT
‘Death knell for Britain’s sense of civic duty: institutions in decline’. ‘Self-help citizenship’. These were the Daily Telegraph and Guardian headlines announcing the first report by the Foundation for Civil Society (FCS) on 30 October 1996: The Deficit in Civil Society in the United Kingdom (Knight and Stokes 1996). It shows how civil relations and social, cultural, religious and moral life are deteriorating in the UK, with membership of community-orientated organisations (churches, trade unions, mutual aid organisations) and participation in politics (especially amongst young people) all in decline. Civil society is today more represented by issue-based concerns such as the environment, human rights and other special interests, including education. Community networks and relations in general are breaking down as people feel less trust or responsibility towards their neighbours, and feel increasingly ‘on their own’ – powerless, alienated and anxious.
