By Sian Hewitt

Copyright dailystar

Half of Britain fears we are slowly morphing into a complete Nanny State nation . A whopping four in ten Brits believe the UK is becoming too carefully managed by the powers that be – with young adults feeling it the most strongly. Following a slew of policies including a ban on advertising junk food before 9pm, proposals to ban vaping in public spaces and the introduction of digital ID cards , many fear the Government is trying to completely run our every move via state control. Concerns about a growing nanny state of government diktats have traditionally been associated with older or more conservative voters, but this research suggests that younger generations may also be showing signs of fatigue with the increasing rules telling us what we can and can’t do. The results showed that people aged 18-24 actually felt the most strongly about the issue, with 47% agreeing that the UK is becoming a nanny state. Markus Lindblad, of nicotine pouch retailer Northerner which commissioned the research, said: “When 41% of the public says they believe the UK is becoming a nanny state, policymakers would be wise to pay attention. “It is a fine line between protecting and controlling the public, and it seems many people feel this line is being crossed.” The research was done to understand the public’s opinion on the trend of increasing government regulation of what had been considered people’s private lives. The UK currently ranks 7th out of 29 countries in the 2025 Nanny State Index, which measures government intervention on lifestyle choices such as food, alcohol, smoking and vaping. The ranking means the UK is considered as one of the ‘least free’ countries and has a much stronger tendency towards nanny state policies than many of its European neighbours in terms of lifestyle regulation. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .