Two thirds of people do not know their rights

A new report launched last week shows that around two thirds of people do not know their legal rights and nearly 70% have no knowledge of basic legal processes.

The research, which was commissioned by the Public Legal Education Network (Plenet), shows that people's decisions on seeking advice appear to be dependant on the individual's background. The report shows people from ethnic minority communities, those with mental health issues, long-term illness or disability are less likely to know their rights and fail to get help

In addition, eighteen to twenty-four years-old and the over seventy fives are least likely to obtain advice.

The research is based on a survey of over 10,000 respondents. Plenet's Development Manager, Lisa Wintersteiger, said: "These findings are further evidence of widespread legal exclusion. There are significant gaps in people's knowledge, skills and confidence in dealing with legal issues. The results show problems are not spread evenly across the population or across the issues. They disproportionately affect some very vulnerable groups."

Planet aims to give people the know-how to manage the law in their every day lives.