Parents blamed for rise in yob culture
The majority of the public blame poor parenting for the significant rise in anti-social behaviour, according to a new survey.
85 per cent of respondents to a YouGov poll for Friday's Telegraph said parents are one of the two main factors responsible for the lack of respect people now show fellow citizens and those in authority.
89 per cent of people believe yob culture is on the rise, with 65 per cent feeling it has "increased a lot".
The survey also found that more than 90 per cent believe that people today show less respect for one another and for those in authority than they did in the past.
While that may be unsurprising, ministers and MPs may be more interested in some of the other findings of the poll.
The break up of marriages was blamed by 25 per cent. 22 per cent blamed the Blair government, teachers and councils and charities.
Only 14 per cent of the public believed that the government "can do a great deal" about anti-social behaviour, even though ministers have made the topic a key priority for their third term in power.
However, 39 per cent felt that "it can do a certain amount" although 30 per cent thought "it can't do very much," and 12 per cent suggested that "it can't really do anything".
Blair's flagship anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) policy has not been very successful, according to 36 per cent of respondents, and "not at all successful" according to 12 per cent.
While nearly a quarter (23 per cent) felt it had been "fairly successful", two thirds (67 per cent) said that, as far as they knew, no one in their area had been subject to an ASBO.
But only 18 per cent of people said they had been significantly affected by anti-social behaviour in the past two weeks.
21 per cent said they had been subject to "hardly any" anti-social behaviour, 17 per cent said "not much," and 41 per cent said "only the occasional incident".
Just 16 per cent said wearing a hood or baseball cap constituted serious anti-social behaviour.
