4.2 Social Changes Affecting Policy Devlopment

• Social Mores


  - Essential norms that society sees as vital for maintaining standards of decency and civilised behaviour

  - Most important moral rules e.g not committing murder
• Reasons for change regarding attitudes to LGBTQ


  - attitudes towards homosexuality have changed due to secularisation

  - rise of pressure group campaigns such as stonewall

  - prejudice and homophobia go against social mores
• Sexual Offences Act 1967


  Decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men, both of whom had to have attained the age of 21.
• 1972


  First Pride festival took place in London on July 1st

  2000 people took part
• section 28 (1988-2000)


  Prohibitions promotion of homosexuality by local authority.

  thatcher wants traditionalist values , and the nuclear family ( to reproduce value consensus and proper socialization)

  children taught about gay rights do not have "a sound start in life"

  on top of the AIDS crisis it just fulled and promoted homophobia and outright discrimination.

  -> 1987 3/4 think homosexuality is mostly wrong.

  this causes mass self-hatred
• 1992


  World Health Organisation declassifies homosexuality as a disease and mental illness
• 2000


  - law was changed which allowed gay, bisexual and transgender people to be in the armed forces
• Sexual Offences Act 2000 - amendment


  lowered age of consent to that of a straight couple
• Equality Act 2010


  Made sexuality a protected characteristic that cannot be discriminated against
• Secularisation


  The process whereby the influence of religion in a society declines

  Views are then less influenced by religion
• 1925 (drink driving)


  Criminal justice act 1925 made it an offence to be drunk when in control of any mechanically operated vehicle
• 1966


  - made it compulsory for new cars to have seatbelt fittings however this was only applicable to the front seats
• 1967 Road Safety Act.


  - made it an offence to drive a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration in excess of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood

  - 1968 then introduced breathalysers
• 1991 Road Traffic Act


  - created the offence of causing death by dangerous driving e.g when unfit through drink and drugs
• PUBLICS PERCEPTION OF CRIME - DRINK DRIVING
• Drink driving


  - these changes in values can affect the publics perception of crime

  - overtime, views about drink driving have changed and this has lead to changes in laws and policies

  - laws governing it have become tighter

  - for years, public attitudes to drink driving were quite tolerant and it wasn't seen as a serious offence

  - car ownership was increasing however, in 1951 only 15% of households owned a car but by 1971, this has risen to 55%

  - this resulted in more deaths, from about 5000 in 1950 to 8000 by the 1960s
• Changing perceptions


  - due to the increased ownership of cars, the public perception of drink driving began to change

  - road safety became more of a public concern and began to move up the political agenda

  - for example, from 1966 all cars were fitted with seatbelts

  - due to concern about drink driving accidents, the 1967 road safety acts introduced a blood alcohol limit

  - became an offence to be in charge of a motor vehicle with an alcohol level above this limit
• Breathalysers


  - in 1968, the first breathalysers were introduced for roadside use

  - this and major advertising campaign by the government, this helped to reduce road deaths by over 1100 and serious injuries by 11000

  - the proportion of accidents where alcohols as involved fell from 25% to 15%
• Tougher Laws


  - In 1983 the High Risk Offender scheme was introduced for convicted drivers with an alcohol problem

  - drivers who have been disqualified more than once for drink driving

  - in 1991 a new offence of causing death while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was introduced

  - new laws and tougher sentences reflect growing public intolerance of drink driving

  - 5% of road causalities involve alcohol
• Campaigns


  - Campaigns have been an important factor in changing public perceptions of drink driving as a crime

  - in 1979 half of all male drivers admitted to drink driving at least once a week however a survey in 2014 by Think! campaign against drink driving has showed there has been a massive change in peoples attitudes.
• Smoking


  1930's - smoking was the norm and fashionable. Glamourised and encouraged, even by doctors Increased understanding of health implications led to a decrease in popularity.

  • 1950's - research began to be published suggesting a link between tobacco products and lung cancer.

  • 1965 - tobacco industry now had to show warning labels on products

  • Now - campaigns to stop smoking (ASH - action on smoking and health), advertising of tobacco products is banned, Health Act (2006) prohibits smoking in enclosed and working environments, Children and Families Act (2014) prohibits smoking in vehicles where children are present, graphic images are now shown on cigarette packets.