The This Place Matters project will be led by UCL Policy Lab, with Citizens UK and More in Common, and seeks to provide local and national governments with a blueprint for what good cohesion policy looks like.
To mark the project-s launch, new polling and focus group analysis was commissioned to examine the challenges facing cohesion in Britain today.
The analysis of over 13,000 Britons found that a plurality of Brits feel disconnected from society and sometimes feel like "strangers in their own country."
Financial insecurity was one of the strongest predictors of whether Britons feel disconnected from society, but remote working and the legacies of the pandemic lockdowns also played a role. Among those with an income under £10,000 per year, 63.5% said they felt disconnected from society around them.
While some focus group attendees mentioned multiculturalism concerns, a closer look shows Asian British people were in fact the most likely ethnic group to feel like a stranger in their country (47 per cent), more than white Britons (44 per cent).
The results paint a picture of growing scepticism and mistrust, particularly among younger Britons. The polling found that only 7% of 18-24-year-olds think -most people can be trusted-, compared to 21% of 75+ year olds.
Speaking ahead of the project launch, Marc Stears, Director, UCL Policy Lab and Pro-provost for policy engagement, said: -This polling reveals why our project is so important. Far too often people feel disconnected and isolated from those around them. As we’ve heard in recent weeks, some argue this is about the changing nature of places and communities, often driven by economic and technological shifts, yet the polling also shows a deeper sense of isolation which has set in post-COVID.
- -What stood out in the initial research, and stands out when speaking to those working in communities across Britain, is the need for us to meet, to explore ideas and understand our neighbours. This Place Matters aims to facilitate that, bringing to bear the latest research and campaigning tools to tackle these tensions and help design a better plan for Britain.
-Citizens UK, working on the ground with communities across Britain, will ensure -
The project, which will run for one year, is conducted in partnership with the Pears Foundation, This Day and Unbound Philanthropy. Initial findings will be published later this year.
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Sophie Hunter
E: sophie.hunter@ucl.ac.ukT: +44 7502505610
