Researchers at the University of Oxford are launching a major new initiative to understand how people across the UK feel about their communities, institutions, and the future of the country.
The National Conversation is a UK-wide listening initiative, inviting people to share what they value about community life and the kind of communities they want to build together.
Researchers at Oxford Population Health’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, and Nuffield College, will collect large-scale public data on social cohesion, trust, belonging, and community life across Britain through a 10-minute survey and innovative digital tools — including interactive mapping, postcode-based questions, and optional voice notes — to capture people’s lived experiences in their own words.
The initiative launched today and will run until the end of August. It is expected to become one of the largest ongoing efforts to map the public’s shared vision for the future, trying to determine:
- What unites us?
- What divides us?
- What would bring us closer together?
- What does it mean to be British (and English, Irish, Scottish, or Welsh)?
- What connects us to our neighbours?
- What makes this place feel like home?
The findings will directly inform the work of the Independent Commission on Community Cohesion (ICCC), co-led by former Cabinet Minister Sir Sajid Javid and former Labour MP Jon Cruddas, Honorary Fellow at Nuffield College. Sir Sajid Javid said
Our country is in real peril. Unless we can regain a shared sense of what unites us – of what we have in common – we risk being torn apart by our differences. That vision won’t come from politicians – it can only come from the public.
So please take a few minutes out of your day to add your voice to the national conversation. I’m a great believer in the wisdom of the public – we hope this conversation gives that wisdom voice.
The project comes at a critical moment for Britain’s social fabric. Recent violent riots, attacks targeting migrant communities and asylum accommodation, growing political polarisation, and declining trust in institutions have exposed deep social tensions and raised urgent questions about cohesion, identity, and belonging.
Professor Melinda Mills, Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science at Oxford Population Health, and lead investigator on the project, said ‘There is an urgent need to understand how people across the UK are experiencing social change, trust, belonging, and community life. Much of the current debate relies on assumptions, fragmented polling, or political rhetoric. The National Conversation aims to provide a rigorous, evidence-based picture of what people are actually experiencing and feeling in their everyday lives.
‘Community cohesion is not an abstract concept. It shapes how safe people feel, whether they trust institutions and neighbours, and whether they believe society is fair and functioning. Understanding these dynamics is essential if we want to prevent further division and build stronger communities.’
The project is supported by and embedded within Nuffield College, reflecting the College’s long-standing mission to connect academic research with real-world policy and public debate.
Jon Cruddas, Honorary Fellow at Nuffield College, Co-chair of the ICCC, and former Labour Policy Coordinator said ‘Rebuilding Britain’s social fabric and sense of community has never been more urgent. But the answers to this don’t lie in Westminster. They lie in communities up and down the country. That’s why the National Conversation is at the heart of how we rebuild a shared vision of our country.’
Playwright James Graham, who has helped advise on the design of the National Conversation, said ‘As we all know, our society can feel very divided right now, and in a political climate that often seeks to divide us into narrower tribes that incite tensions through difference rather than unite us around our positives and strengths.
‘It’s also the case that the louder voices are the ones which tend to reach above the noise. I come from a proud place, rich in heritage and ideas but that is often left voiceless. So here is a genuine, real attempt to correct that. Our country is a story that we should all contribute to and tell.
‘We want to hear your vision of the kind of country that would make you proud and the kind of communities you want to live in. I truly hope this National Conversation can be the first serious attempt to map out what vision we share of the future. We need it now more than ever.’
The National Conversation is backed by hundreds of groups from the NHS to TikTok, the UK Muslim Network to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, the Church Urban Fund, and English Football League in the Community. To take part, or for organisations interested in hosting a group conversation, visit the National Conversation website.
A new national social barometer
The National Conversation will establish a new long-term “social barometer” to track cohesion and social trust over time.
The study will examine:
- feelings of belonging at local and national levels;
- trust in institutions, services, and neighbours;
- perceptions of fairness, safety, and social support;
- attitudes toward social change and national identity;
- how media environments shape perceptions of cohesion;
- the local places people most value – or feel disconnected from.
Researchers will use statistical modelling and privacy-preserving AI techniques to analyse patterns across demographic groups and regions while maintaining strict ethical safeguards and GDPR compliance.