Name: 為什麼沒人願意住在英國 (Why No One Wants to Live in the UK)
Uploaded: 2025-05-26T23:18:35.000Z
Duration: 19 min 15 s

It's the capital city of the United Kingdom, and one of the richest cities in the world, with an economy worth more than half a trillion dollars.

它是英國的首都，也是世界上最富有的城市之一，經濟總量超過 5 萬億美元。

第二類條件句型

Meaning that if it were a country, it would have the 26th largest economy in the world, roughly the same size as Norway's.

這意味著，如果它是一個國家，它的經濟規模將位居世界第 26 位，與挪威大致相當。

And for nearly two centuries, both in Britain and Europe, it's been a hub for high value services like finance, offering some of the highest In 2023, London's councils estimated that more than 1 in 50 people in the city are homeless.

近兩個世紀以來，無論是在英國還是在歐洲，倫敦一直是金融等高價值服務的樞紐，提供一些最高級別的服務。

This is a figure which has risen by more than 50% in just 10 years, which means Britain now has by far the highest level of homelessness in the developed world.

這一數字在短短 10 年間增長了 50%以上，這意味著英國現在是發達國家中無家可歸者人數最多的國家。

All this while real wages, that is what people take home after accounting for inflation, have remained flat for over 15 years.

而與此同時，實際工資（即扣除通貨膨脹因素後的工資）卻在 15 年多的時間裡保持不變。

This means people are being paid roughly the same as they were in 2008, while the prices of almost all goods and services have increased, and essentials like housing have skyrocketed.

這意味著人們的工資與 2008 年大致相同，而幾乎所有商品和服務的價格都在上漲，住房等生活必需品的價格更是飛漲。

It's therefore no wonder that people are beginning to leave the UK at an unprecedented rate.

是以，人們開始以前所未有的速度離開英國也就不足為奇了。

A junior professional could earn more than double in New York compared to London, with the cost of living only around one third higher.

在紐約，初級專業人員的收入可能比倫敦高出一倍多，而生活成本僅高出約三分之一。

Because of this, every year, more and more of Britain's young, skilled workers leave the country for a better life elsewhere, particularly from Britain's famed National Health Service, which is facing a potential exodus of doctors and nurses due to poor pay, overwork and deteriorating working conditions.

正因為如此，每年都有越來越多的英國年輕技術工人離開英國，到其他地方尋求更好的生活，尤其是英國著名的國民醫療服務機構，由於工資低、工作過度和工作條件惡化，該機構正面臨著醫生和護士外流的可能。

People flooding out of the UK is perhaps a good metaphor for the current state of the British economy, and ironically, more people from outside the UK are immigrating to work in Britain each year than ever before.

人們湧出英國也許是對英國經濟現狀的一個很好的比喻，具有諷刺意味的是，每年從英國以外移民到英國工作的人數比以往任何時候都多。

Whilst it's true that the primary reason of migration is to use the UK's world-leading education services, research conducted in 2015 found that those leaving the country were significantly more skilled than those entering the nation each year, stating that increases in net migration over the last decade have significantly increased the pool of low-skilled workers in Britain's economy.

雖然移民的主要原因確實是為了使用英國世界領先的教育服務，但 2015 年進行的研究發現，每年離開英國的人比進入英國的人的技能要高得多，這說明過去十年淨移民的增加大大增加了英國經濟中低技能工人的數量。

Offsetting skilled workers with less skilled workers is not good for any country, as it ultimately means lower productivity and a poorer quality of goods and services that are offered within the economy.

用技術水平較低的工人來抵消技術工人對任何國家都沒有好處，因為這最終意味著生產率降低，經濟中提供的商品和服務質量下降。

So why could it be that a seemingly wealthy country like Britain is seeing a mass exodus of some of its most talented and youngest workers?

那麼，為什麼像英國這樣一個看似富裕的國家會出現一些最有才華和最年輕的工人大量外流的現象呢？

Part of it has to do with living standards in the UK becoming worse and worse each year.

部分原因與英國的生活水準逐年下降有關。

In fact, this was the main reason given by Britain's leaving the country.

事實上，這是英國離開該國的主要原因。

And this makes As if you remove London's output and population, it would shave off 14% from British living standards, making the remaining UK perform worse economically than Mississippi, the lowest-ranking US state in terms of per capita economic performance.

如果將倫敦的產出和人口剔除，英國人的生活水準將降低 14%，這使得英國的經濟表現不如美國人均經濟表現最低的密西西比州。

This all ties into a growing theme, that the UK's best days are behind it, and one which is also supported by the data.

這一切都與一個日益增長的主題有關，即英國最好的時代已經過去，數據也證明了這一點。

In 2007, the average UK household was just 8% worse off than its peers in northwestern Europe.

2007 年，英國家庭的平均收入僅比西北歐同類國家低 8%。

But in the 15 years that has followed, this gap has grown to a record 20%.

但在隨後的 15 年中，這一差距已擴大到創紀錄的 20%。

On present trends, the average Slovenian household will be better off than its British counterpart by 2024, and the average Polish family will achieve the same feat by the end of the decade.

按照目前的趨勢，到 2024 年，斯洛文尼亞的普通家庭將比英國的普通家庭更加富裕，而波蘭的普通家庭也將在本十年末達到同樣的水準。

And these stagnant wages is a burden which is being disproportionately felt by those with lower incomes.

而這些停滯不前的工資是收入較低人群的沉重負擔。

While the UK's top earners rank 5th for living standards, the average household ranks 12th, and the poorest 5% rank 15th.

英國高收入者的生活水準排名第 5 位，而普通家庭排名第 12 位，最貧窮的 5%的家庭排名第 15 位。

Far from simply losing touch with their western European peers, last year the lowest-earning bracket of British households had a standard of living that was 20% weaker than their counterparts in Slovenia.

去年，英國最低收入階層家庭的生活水準比斯洛文尼亞家庭低 20%，這絕非僅僅是與西歐同齡人失之交臂那麼簡單。

This is part of a growing paradox, that as more and more people move to the UK, its levels of public services and pools of skilled workers are gradually declining.

隨著越來越多的人移居英國，英國的公共服務水準和技術工人儲備卻在逐漸下降，這是一個日益嚴重的悖論的一部分。

So let's take a look at why this is happening to one of the richest countries in the United Kingdom.

讓我們來看看為什麼英國最富有的國家之一會出現這種情況。

Before we start, I'd like to thank the sponsor of today's video, Incogni.

在開始之前，我要感謝今天視頻的贊助商 Incogni。

If you use the internet as much as me, then your data will have ended up all around the web when you make online purchases or create accounts.

如果你和我一樣經常使用互聯網，那麼當你在網上購物或創建賬戶時，你的數據就會出現在網絡的各個角落。

And what's worse is that there are data brokers who are collecting, analysing and selling your data to buyers all over the planet.

更糟糕的是，有些數據經紀人正在收集、分析你的數據，並將其出售給全球各地的買家。

Which is a problem because when so many organisations are passing around your data, it makes it easier for someone to sneak in and steal it.

這是個問題，因為當這麼多機構都在傳遞你的數據時，就會讓別人更容易潛入並竊取你的數據。

I've had my data stolen in the past and trust me it's not fun.

我的數據曾被盜過，相信我，這並不好玩。

It involves a lot of time and endless hassle trying to fix it.

要解決這個問題，需要花費大量的時間和無盡的麻煩。

There are specific websites where people can directly find your information and all someone needs to do is input your name and get access to sensitive information such as your address, phone numbers, employment and even information on your children.

在一些特定的網站上，人們可以直接找到您的資訊，只需輸入您的姓名，就可以獲取您的地址、電話號碼、工作甚至子女資訊等敏感資訊。

And while these services make promises not to use them for things such as stalking or harassment, there's little that they can do to enforce that.

雖然這些服務機構承諾不會將其用於跟蹤或騷擾等行為，但它們幾乎無法強制執行。

Which is why Incogni is such an important service as it reaches out to these data brokers and on your behalf requests your personal data to be removed and deals with any objection from their side.

是以，Incogni 是一項非常重要的服務，它可以聯繫這些數據經紀人，代表您要求刪除您的個人數據，並處理他們提出的任何反對意見。

This process is 100% automated and all you have to do is create an account and grant them access to work on your behalf and then kick back and watch as your data disappears from the web.

這一過程是 100% 自動完成的，您只需創建一個賬戶，並授予他們代表您工作的權限，然後就可以悠閒地看著您的數據從網絡上消失。

It really is that easy and all you need to do is visit incogni.com forward slash invisible hand and use the code invisible hand at checkout to get 60% off an annual plan.

就是這麼簡單，您只需訪問 incogni.com forward slash invisible hand，並在結賬時使用代碼 invisible hand，即可享受年度計劃六折優惠。

Check the link in the description to get started.

請查看說明中的鏈接開始使用。

It wasn't that long ago that Britain was one of the most prosperous and attractive destinations for young skilled talent in the world.

不久前，英國還是世界上最繁榮、最吸引年輕技術人才的國家之一。

A feeling which is shared by many Britons too.

A recent poll found that 60% of respondents view life as being better in the 1990s and 2000s than today.

最近的一項民意調查發現，60% 的受訪者認為上世紀 90 年代和 2000 年代的生活比現在好。

This era in particular is looked back upon with nostalgia for many British people.

Music from bands like Oasis and the Spice Girls were worldwide hits as the cool Britannia movement swept the country and the end of the cold war was also adding to a global sense of optimism.

隨著 "酷大不列顛 "運動席捲全國，"綠洲 "和 "辣妹 "等樂隊的音樂風靡全球。

Of course there is always a tendency for people to view the world of the past favourably but the 1990s stand out in particular as they were a period of real economic success for Great Britain.

當然，人們總是傾向於樂觀地看待過去的世界，但 20 世紀 90 年代尤其突出，因為那是英國經濟取得真正成功的時期。

Despite a rocky start to the decade, marked by the turmoil caused from the fallout by the ERM and a recession in the early 1990s, the UK entered an era of remarkable economic resilience.

儘管這十年的開端坎坷不平，其特點是歐洲債務管理制度的影響和 20 世紀 90 年代初的經濟衰退造成了動盪，但英國還是進入了一個經濟韌性非凡的時代。

From 1992 onward, Britain enjoyed its longest stretch of uninterrupted growth since the Second World War.

從 1992 年起，英國實現了自第二次世界大戰以來最長的不間斷增長。

Driven by a combination of structural reforms, effective monetary policies and favourable global conditions, this period, often referred to as the Long Expansion, was characterised by continuous GDP growth and significant productivity improvements.

在結構改革、有效貨幣政策和有利全球條件的共同推動下，這一時期通常被稱為 "長期擴張期"，其特點是國內生產總值持續增長，生產率顯著提高。

The financial sector played a pivotal role in this economic success, with substantial credit expansion, particularly in property lending, driving consumer spending and investment.

金融部門在這一經濟成功中發揮了關鍵作用，信貸大幅擴張，特別是在房地產貸款方面，推動了消費支出和投資。

Regulatory change also made the UK an attractive place to invest, meaning the UK retained a positive balance of net income from abroad.

監管方面的變化也使英國成為一個具有吸引力的投資地，這意味著英國從國外獲得的淨收入保持了正餘額。

However, in this decade, Britain continued to shift towards a more service-based model of employment, and while prosperous, it did not provide the broad-based employment that the industrial sector had, causing widespread job losses in areas like heavy industry and mining, jobs which tended to be located in poorer areas of the country, away from cities like London.

然而，在這十年中，英國繼續轉向更加以服務業為基礎的就業模式，雖然繁榮，但並沒有像工業部門那樣提供廣泛的就業機會，導致重工業和採礦業等領域的就業機會普遍減少，而這些工作崗位往往位於遠離倫敦等城市的貧困地區。

The UK continued to grow in this period, however, midway through the 2000s, a number of problems were starting to appear, and the financial crisis of 2008 exposed and exacerbated these underlying weaknesses in Britain's economic model, revealing an over-reliance on financial services and a lack of adequate investment in other vital sectors.

在此期間，英國經濟持續增長，但在 2000 年代中期，一些問題開始顯現，2008 年的金融危機暴露並加劇了英國經濟模式中的這些潛在弱點，暴露出英國過度依賴金融服務，而對其他重要部門缺乏足夠的投資。

Today, the nation grapples with a number of severe issues, including an overstretched NHS, a housing affordability crisis and ageing infrastructure, all of which stem from past policies and require urgent attention to secure a sustainable future.

如今，我國正面臨著一系列嚴峻的問題，包括國民醫療保健系統（NHS）不堪重負、住房負擔危機和基礎設施老化，所有這些問題都源於過去的政策，亟需引起重視，以確保未來的可持續發展。

Perhaps the most important issue for people living in the UK right now is that of housing.

對於生活在英國的人們來說，目前最重要的問題或許就是住房問題。

Not only are there not enough homes, but ones which exist have become unaffordable for the vast majority of the population.

不僅沒有足夠的住房，而且現有的住房對絕大多數人來說都已負擔不起。

This has made home ownership for first-time buyers nearly impossible without an income far above the average, or financial support from the so-called bank of mum and dad.

這使得首次購房者如果沒有遠高於平均水平的收入，或者沒有所謂的父母銀行的資金支持，幾乎不可能擁有自己的住房。

The UK has consistently built fewer homes compared to the needs of its growing population, especially when compared to other developing countries.

與不斷增長的人口需求相比，英國建造的房屋數量一直較少，尤其是與其他開發中國家相比。

This shortfall is largely due to restrictive planning laws, limited government funding for public housing and a prioritisation of other economic areas over residential construction.

造成這種短缺的主要原因是規劃法的限制性、政府對公共住房的資助有限以及其他經濟領域優先於住宅建設。

Over the decades, the cumulative effect of not building enough homes has led to a significant supply demand imbalance in the housing market.

幾十年來，由於沒有建造足夠的住房，累積效應導致住房市場供需嚴重失衡。

This is an issue which has its roots in policies of the past.

這個問題的根源在於過去的政策。

Introduced in the late 1970s, the Right to Buy scheme allowed tenants in public housing to purchase their homes at a discount.

20 世紀 70 年代末推出的 "購買權 "計劃允許公共住房的租戶以折扣價購買自己的住房。

At the time, this policy was seen as really progressive, as it made home ownership achievable for those who before could only have dreamt of it.

在當時，這項政策被視為真正的進步，因為它讓那些以前只能夢想的人實現了置業的願望。

And while this policy enabled many people to own a property, it also led to a substantial reduction in the stock of social housing.

雖然這項政策讓很多人擁有了房產，但也導致社會住房存量大幅減少。

And since these homes were not replaced at a sufficient rate, the social housing sector shrunk by about 25% since the 1970s, all while the population has continued to increase.

由於這些住房的更換速度不夠快，自 20 世紀 70 年代以來，社會住房部門縮減了約 25%，而與此同時，人口卻在不斷增加。

With fewer social homes available and ongoing challenges in housing affordability, more individuals and families have turned to the private rental sector.

隨著社會福利房的減少以及住房可負擔性的持續挑戰，越來越多的個人和家庭轉向私人租賃領域。

This increased demand has naturally led to rising rents, as the supply has not adequately kept pace with the demand.

由於供不應求，需求增加自然導致租金上漲。

Rising rental costs have disproportionately affected those on lower incomes, who find fewer affordable options available, and usually need to compete on price for what they can afford.

房租成本的上漲對低收入人群的影響尤為嚴重，他們發現可負擔得起的選擇較少，通常需要在價格上進行競爭，以獲得他們能負擔得起的房租。

And what makes all this worse is that house prices have continued to outstrip real wages for well over 30 years, creating an even bigger difference in society between those who own their homes and those who don't.

更糟糕的是，30 多年來，房價一直高於實際工資，這使得擁有住房者和沒有住房者之間的社會差距越來越大。

Housing supply is of course an issue across a number of Western European economies, however it's particularly bad in the UK.

當然，住房供給是許多西歐經濟體都面臨的問題，但在英國尤為嚴重。

In England, there are now 1.4 million fewer households in social housing than in 1980, all while the UK's Gini coefficient, a measure of inequality, has been steadily rising.

與 1980 年相比，英國目前的社會住房家庭減少了 140 萬戶，而衡量不平等程度的基尼係數卻在穩步上升。

This has led to overcrowding, both in the private sector and in social housing.

這導致了私人住房和社會住房的過度擁擠。

And what this means is that on an unprecedented scale, more and more households are being pushed into homelessness, but one which is less visible to the broader public.

這就意味著，越來越多的家庭正以前所未有的規模被推向無家可歸的境地，但這種情況卻不那麼為廣大公眾所關注。

After declining for several years, the number of English households living in temporary accommodation has more than doubled between 2010 and 2023, from 48,000 to 112,000, the highest figure since records begun.

在連續幾年下降之後，2010 年至 2023 年期間，居住在臨時住所的英國家庭數量增加了一倍多，從 4.8 萬戶增加到 11.2 萬戶，是有記錄以來的最高數字。

Conditions in these buildings are often atrocious.

這些建築的條件往往十分惡劣。

Damp and mould are commonplace, as are insects and animal infestations.

潮溼、發黴、昆蟲和動物出沒等現象屢見不鮮。

The adults drop out of work and children out of school, further decreasing social mobility, as those unfortunate enough to live in these conditions are even less likely to earn a higher income in the future.

成年人輟學，孩子失學，進一步降低了社會流動性，因為那些不幸生活在這種條件下的人將來更不可能獲得更高的收入。

These arrangements also impose enormous costs on local councils, which last year spent almost $1.8 billion on emergency shelter, a figure that has more than doubled in real terms over the past decade.

這些安排也給地方議會帶來了巨大的成本，去年，地方議會在緊急避難所上花費了近 18 億美元，這一數字在過去十年中實際增長了一倍多。

This nightmare scenario is due to three main factors.

造成這種噩夢般的情景主要有三個因素。

Woefully inadequate rates of house building, a dwindling social housing sector, and the erosion of financial support for those unable to afford market rents.

房屋建築率嚴重不足，社會住房部門不斷萎縮，對無力承擔市場租金的人的財政支持也在減少。

And these issues aren't likely to get any better soon, as shifts in the UK housing market have disproportionately disadvantaged the youth.

由於英國住房市場的變化對年輕人造成了極大的不利影響，這些問題不會很快得到改善。

A significant portion of older individuals own a second home, whereas young adults today are far less likely to own even a single home and are far more likely to rent.

相當一部分老年人擁有第二套住房，而現在的年輕人甚至不太可能擁有一套住房，租房的可能性要大得多。

This change reflects broader economic trends, where stagnant wages contrast with soaring asset values, exacerbating wealth disparities.

這一變化反映了更廣泛的經濟趨勢，即工資停滯不前與資產價值飆升形成鮮明對比，加劇了貧富差距。

The slower economic growth also means fewer opportunities to advance your career, impacting earnings, especially during critical early stages.

經濟增長放緩也意味著職業發展機會減少，從而影響收入，尤其是在關鍵的早期階段。

In the UK, it used to be the case that you could expect to earn more or have a better economic outlook than your parents.

在英國，過去的情況是，你可以期望比你的父母賺得更多或擁有更好的經濟前景。

However, this trend looks to have died, as those born in the 1980s have generally earned less by the early 30s compared to the previous generation.

然而，這一趨勢似乎已經消亡，因為與上一代人相比，20 世紀 80 年代出生的人到 30 歲出頭時的收入普遍較低。

Unable to afford a home, and with dwindling wages, it's no wonder that some of the UK's most talented individuals are leaving for other countries like the US, Australia, and New Zealand, which offer a quality of life more appealing for ambitious and productive British workers.

由於買不起房，工資又在不斷下降，難怪英國一些最有才華的人紛紛離開英國，前往美國、澳洲和紐西蘭等其他國家。

Stagnant wages are of course a major factor in this, and this is largely thanks to dwindling productivity across the country.

工資停滯不前當然是其中的一個主要因素，而這在很大程度上要歸功於全國生產力的下降。

Productivity is the efficiency with which a nation produces goods and services from its inputs, labour and capital.

生產力是指一個國家利用其投入的勞動力和資本生產商品和服務的效率。

And since the financial crisis of 2008, the UK has faced a stark slowdown in productivity growth.

而自 2008 年金融危機以來，英國的生產力增長速度明顯放緩。

Before the crisis, productivity was growing at around 2% annually.

危機前，生產力的年增長率約為 2%。

However, after the crisis, this growth has nearly flatlined, and notably there have been a significant decrease in investment.

然而，危機過後，這種增長几乎趨於平穩，尤其是投資大幅減少。

Since 2005, UK companies have invested 20% less than their counterparts in the US, France, and Germany, placing Britain in the bottom 10% of OECD countries.

自 2005 年以來，英國公司的投資比美國、法國和德國的同行少 20%，在經合組織國家中排名倒數 10%。

This under-investment has resulted in outdated technology and equipment, reduced innovation, and a shortfall in skill development across both industrial and service sectors.

投資不足導致技術和設備過時，創新減少，工業和服務業技能發展不足。

And consequently, the overall efficiency and innovative capacity of the UK economy has suffered, leading to slower productivity growth.

是以，英國經濟的整體效率和創新能力受到影響，導致生產率增長放緩。

And nowhere is this clearer than with the UK's National Health Service.

這一點在英國的國民健康服務中體現得最為明顯。

The National Health Service, or NHS, was established in 1948 as a publicly funded health service that was free at the point of access.

國家醫療服務體系（NHS）成立於 1948 年，是一項由政府資助的免費醫療服務。

Since its introduction over 70 years ago, the NHS has become a staple of British life, and something which is taken for granted by many people.

自 70 多年前推出以來，英國國家醫療服務體系（NHS）已成為英國人生活中的重要組成部分，許多人認為這是理所當然的事情。

However, as time has gone on, and especially in the last two decades, costs have started to spiral, as the quality of treatment and care provided has declined.

然而，隨著時間的推移，尤其是近二十年來，隨著治療和護理品質的下降，費用也開始直線上升。

This is partly because when it was first introduced, Britain's population was significantly smaller, and also much younger, meaning fewer people required healthcare and treatment.

部分原因是，在最初引入該制度時，英國的人口明顯較少，而且年輕得多，這意味著需要醫療保健和治療的人數較少。