Is the UK’s compensation culture a myth?
The term ‘compensation culture’ is one we will all have heard many times, and it often comes with negative connotations. The idea that an individual or business can be sued for even the smallest of things, something that, in the past perhaps, would never even have been considered an issue, is all-pervading. We make jokes about it, even comparing our own country to others and despairing that the idea of trying to claim compensation for anything even slightly negative that happens has reached our shores.
Yet is this, in fact, the case? Does the UK really have a compensation culture, or is the truth something else entirely?
Image by Sang Hyun Cho from Pixabay
Things have changed
One of the reasons we might look at what is happening with regards to compensation and worry that we in the UK are now living under a ‘compensation culture’ is that things have changed a lot in recent years. Not too long ago, the ability to claim for these injuries (mental or physical, and for the purposes of this debate, financial too) didn’t exist, and as time has gone on the laws have changed meaning that now, should something go wrong and it cause substantial injury, it is possible to claim compensation for that injury.
So this change could mean that people feel there is more likelihood that someone will be sued, or that a claim will be made. The truth is, the law has caught up with the rest of the world and is finally something that can help, rather than hinder if a major injury occurs.
Seen much more
It has always been possible, at least to some extent, to claim compensation for an injury that resulted in some kind of loss. Today, thanks to the many and various social media platforms, the different TV channels, the streaming services, the advertising opportunities that businesses take on billboards, taxis, park benches, and anywhere else, we are more aware of that ability to claim.
Attorneys are advertising more, therefore more people are becoming aware of the fact they can make a claim should they need to. The number of claims may have gone up because of this, and it could seem as though everyone is suddenly claiming for this or that. However, these are claims that have always been possible to make; the only difference is people are now aware of their rights. Knowing there are wrongful death attorneys who can be relied on, or lawyers who can help you claim for having to take time off work, or for losing a business, is comforting in difficult times.
Is compensation culture a myth?
So is the UK’s ‘compensation culture’ a myth, or does it really exist? It seems it is much closer to the former than the latter. Even though it can feel – as outlined above – that more people are claiming and the country is more litigious than ever, the statistics from YouGov actually show quite the opposite; the figures are falling. In 2013, 29 percent of those who were injured went on to make a claim. In 2014, the figure dropped to 25 percent.
It seems, if anything, we need to tell more people about their right to make a claim if someone is liable since it would seem that more people could benefit from the compensation that would be paid out.