
“the most influential and talked-about book on society in the last decade“
‘A big idea, big enough to change political thinking’ – Guardian
‘A remarkable new book … the implications are profound’ – Will Hutton, Observer
‘The evidence is hard to dispute’ – Economist
One of the Top Ten Books of the Decade – New Statesman
One of the 100 most influential books of the century – Guardian
Winner of the 2010 Politcal Studies Association Book Prize
Winner of the Bristol Festival of Ideas Book Prize
The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better was published in 2009. The book highlights the “pernicious effects that inequality has on societies: eroding trust, increasing anxiety and illness, (and) encouraging excessive consumption”. It shows that for each of eleven different health and social problems: physical health, mental health, drug abuse, education, imprisonment, obesity, social mobility, trust and community life, violence, teenage pregnancies, and child well-being, outcomes are significantly worse in more unequal rich countries.
The Equality Trust