People are being asked to share their visions for the future of their communities and the country as a new Oxford University survey asks, what does it mean to be British?
Brits are being invited to join a ‘National Conversation’ to find out what unites – and what divides us.
People are asked to share their visions for the future of their communities and the country and asks, what does it mean to be British? The major research project – featuring a national survey and local conversations across the country – will use AI models to analyse thousands of responses to map what could bring us together.
It aims to determine what does it mean to be British (and English, Scottish or Welsh), what connects us to our neighbours and what makes this place feel like home? The National Conversation has been launched by the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion and will run until the end of August.
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Sir Sajid Javid, Co-chair of the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion and former Cabinet Minister 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.”
To take part in the National Conversation members of the public are invited to complete the ten-minute Oxford University survey- filling in a few details about their neighbourhood and then leaving a 60 second voice note about their vision for the future. There will also be thousands of small group discussions across the country organised by partner organisations.
One place where the conversation will take place is the Community Corner, a local hub focused on connecting local residents, in Wigan. Lisa Sedgwick, who helps run the centre, said: “The Corner is palace of connection, for people to come together, being alongside each other. We have an open door policy, just pop in for a chat and a brew.”
The centre offers a vast range of activities including workshops, film club, arts and crafts, poetry writing, social gatherings, and a tool library. Lisa said: “We hope to give people a bit of purpose. It’s a community connector. I think it’s growing each year. We offer a bit of everything. It’s not political at all, there’s no judgement in this place.”
Oliver Wood, who runs three workshops, said: “I used to wonder past thinking what was going on but wouldn’t come in because of my anxiety. Now I run a creative writing workshop and a lego club. It feels like family.”
Tony Ball, who helps run the film club, said: “We lost our local cinema a few years ago, so now we do film club here. Once a month we show a kids film, a classic in the afternoon and cult films in the evening.”
Phil Beswick started helping out at the community pantry and now refurbishes bikes for the community: “I’m known as the ‘bike man’. The council gives us old bikes from the tip, I refurbish them and we give them to people who need them, to help them get out and about or find a job.”
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.”
Polling for the British Red Cross shows we have never felt so divided. Three quarters of UK adults (75%) believe Britain is divided as a country Almost as many (72%) say the country has become more divided over the last five years. Only around half of adults say they feel comfortable discussing politics (48%), immigration (50%) or global conflicts (49%) with their partner
Melinda Mills, professor of Demography and Population Health at the University of Oxford and Nuffield College, said: “AI has revolutionised our ability to process huge amounts of data, spot patterns and tell stories. It transforms our ability to conduct mass listening exercises like this and gain real insight from it.
“Being able to analyse voice notes takes that capability further – capturing the language people choose, the emotional register, the texture of how they actually talk about their communities. We hope that this National Conversation will build a new kind of national evidence base about what might hold us together.”
Jon Cruddas, Co-chair of the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion 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.”
Taken together, the survey and community conversations aim to provide the clearest picture yet of the state of connection and cohesion across the UK and where common ground can be found about the country’s future. The Commission’s report, due later this year, will combine this public insight with academic research and a year-long programme of expert testimony and commissioner deliberation.
To take part in the survey visit here
