Households, health and welfare

The average size of British households has fallen to 2.4 people. A greater number of people are living on their own (12 per cent of adults) or in one-parent families. About 67 per cent of householders in Britain own their homes. Four-fifth of British householders live in houses rather than flats.

The average weekly household expenditure in Britain in the last few years was nearly ₤ 309. Food and housing costs constituted 34 per cent of this. Transport and leisure accounted for about 16 per cent each. Over 90 per cent of households have a colour television, telephone, washing machine and deep freezer.

On average British men live for over 74 years and women for nearly 80 years. People are living longer because of a better diet, improved medical treatment and care, and better living conditions.

Britain's National Health Service provides a full range of medical services, which are available to all residents. Local authority personal social services and voluntary organizations provide help and advice to the most vulnerable members of the community, such as the elderly and disabled.

The social security system provides financial help for people who are unable to work or cannot find work. A state pension is payable to women at the age of 60 and to men at 65. A major overhaul of social security is planned, based on the objectives of promoting incentives to work, reducing poverty and welfare dependency, and strengthening community and family life.

Media

There are five terrestrial television channels in Britain (of which two— BBC I and BBC 2 — are publicly funded) and also satellite and cable channels. BBC World Service broadcasts by radio in English and 45 other languages worldwide. BBC World-wide Television is a major international broadcaster. British television productions have won many international awards.

More daily newspapers, national and regional, are sold for every person in Britain than in most other developed countries. On an average day, nearly 60 per cent of people over the age of 15 read a national morning paper; over 65 percent read a Sunday newspaper. There are 10 national morning daily newspapers, 9 Sunday, about 1,400 regional and local newspaper titles, and over 6,500 periodical publications on sale. There is no state control or censorship.

Access to the Internet, a global computer network linked by the international telephone system, has grown rapidly — there are an estimated 5 million Internet or on-line users in Britain.

Architecture and the arts

Britain's architecture reflects its rich history. It includes prehistoric monu­ments, castles, and town walls, cathedrals and churches, stately houses, royal palaces and industrial sites, as well as modern urban architecture.

Britain is fully represented in the World Heritage List, which was established under the Heritage Convention to identify and safeguard the most important sites and buildings. Among the 14 sites are Canterbury Cathedral, Ironbridge Gorge (an early industrial site) in Shropshire, the prehistoric stone circles at Stonehenge and Avebury, the Tower of London, and Edinburgh Old and New Towns.

Contemporary architectural trends are evident in the varied range of housing and office developments. Innovative designs are found in many new buildings, for example, in the City of London and Docklands.

Britain's artistic and cultural heritage is one of the richest in the world. Around 650 professional arts festivals take place in Britain each year. London is one of the leading centres for drama, music, opera and dance. Britain's symphony orchestras are internationally famous, and British pop and rock music maintains its worldwide appeal. Jazz also has a strong following. British films, actors and producers, as well as the creative and technical staff supporting them, are acclaimed. There are about 2,200 cinema screens in Britain. Cinema admissions are running at 124 million a year, having more than doubled since 1984.