There seemed to be nowhere to go but out. Then the suburban multiplex was imported from America - handy for cars, pleasant for families, welcoming to women on their own. The trend of the previous 30 years was broken. All is not for the best in the best of all possible worlds. Nor is life every day, in every way, getting better and better.
Averages can hide as much as they reveal.
But Social Trends is a useful winter woolly against the despair brought on by reading, or hearing, too many news headlines. Browsing through these charts and tables made me decide I am a pessimistic optimist. For most people, most of the time, things are not as bad as they are painted. Which is just as well - because it can take a hell of a long time to make them a great deal better. Paul Barker is a senior fellow of the Institute of Community Studies.