The recession is eroding alienation
http://www.principiadialectica.co.uk/blog/?p=3126
Figures for the UK population, show that over the last three years, of economic austerity, people have come to feel more positive about their communities.
OK, collectivisation (or even an Arab Spring) is still a fair way off! Plus, there is the real negative of people deciding to ‘protect’ their communities against others. But it does demonstrate that changes in material conditions are changing attitudes associated with social alienation.