The end of the first decade of the 21st Century coincided with the end of the longest recession in living memory, wiping out more than 5% of the nation's total wealth. Against this backdrop of economic turmoil and uncertainty, we did not embark our research (which included meeting five groups of neighbours and a 1,000 person quantitative survey) expecting complete satisfaction with the present and unbridled optimism for the future amongst our compatriots.
What we found was a complex picture, with the effects of the recession neither ubiquitous nor uniform. Consumers that have kept their jobs (and this number has been more than anticipated) have found themselves in the curious situation of often having more money in their pocket, with lowered VAT, low inflation and the lowest interest rates in history. However, the knowledge exists that the measures that have resulted with many Britons not feeling the sharp pinch of recession in 2009 were of an emergency nature.
There is therefore a sense that the predicted short, violent thunderstorm may have been avoided only in favour of a longer period of drizzle later on. This is also supplemented by genuine anger amongst British people that those in positions of authority and influence (particularly politicians and bankers) have been seen to have precipitated the crisis, and then to have profited (either through expenses or bonuses) whilst ordinary Britons fretted and suffered.
Despite this, we did not find the British public wallowing. Instead they are busy employing a range of human strategies from strengthening the family network to being cannier consumers, all of which are helping them piece things back together. Moreover, many can even see the bright side of recession, appreciating the collective cultural 'detox' that is following our boom years' nights on the town.