Introducing This Place Matters
Our new public opinion research lays bare the challenges facing social cohesion in Britain today and the urgent need for a renewed focus on strengthening societal bonds, community connection and neighbourhood trust.
These findings are announced as Citizens UK, UCL and More in Common launch This Place Matters, a new project designed to provide local and national governments with a blueprint for what an effective cohesion policy looks like, and to amplify the work of civic actors on the ground who are already doing so much to strengthen our social fabric.
Drawing on polling of more than 13,000 Britons and focus groups from across the country, the research finds that a plurality of Britons feel disconnected from British society, wary of institutions, and anxious about rising community tensions.
Though some of this mistrust stems from concerns around migration and societal change, this is only one part of the picture. The findings show that the rise of social media and technology, the impact of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis and political fragmentation have all had lasting impacts on people’s relationships with those around them. This sense of distrust is particularly strong among young Britons, and those who feel economically insecure.
44 per cent of Britons say they sometimes feel like they are strangers to those around them
An island of strangers?
Weeks before Keir Starmer’s controversial warning that Britain risks becoming an “island of strangers”, we found that many Britons do feel a sense of alienation: 44 per cent say they sometimes feel like “strangers in their own country”. More broadly, half of Britons (50 per cent) feel 'disconnected from society around them'.
I think there's a sense of not wanting to do some things, shutting your door and not actually wanting to be involved with what's going on outside. And that really is not, these are villages (...) But they do lack some of the community spirit that was once there.
Jayne, retired HR director, Cambridgeshire
However, it is a mistake to think this sense of alienation is confined to one ethnic group. Looking more closely at the communities that feel this disconnect most strongly, Asian Britons are the ethnic group most likely to feel like a stranger in their country (47 per cent), more so than white Britons (44 per cent).
But while the Prime Minister’s use of the phrase was related specifically to immigration, our research suggests that this is just one part of a wider and deeper sense of alienation, driven in part by failures in integration, but also by people’s day to day economic struggles.
In fact, financial insecurity is one of the strongest predictors of whether Britons feel disconnected from society: two-thirds (67 per cent) of those who say that they struggle to make ends meet feel disconnected, compared to 37 per cent of those who describe themselves as financially comfortable. In focus groups, Britons of all backgrounds often share how the cost of living has deepened their sense of isolation, making socialising unaffordable.
I think it affects the fun things that you want to do, because your money's all going on your bills and all the boring stuff like food and gas and leccy and petrol so that, come to the end of it, you go, well what have we got money to do for ourselves now?
Amy, Teacher, Runcorn
The decline of associational life
In focus groups, people often describe their sense that the activities and spaces that enable us to socialise are becoming more scarce. For some, this shift is driven by technology and social media, which are reshaping how we interact with one another. Others point to the rise of remote working, which has reduced opportunities to build relationships with colleagues. With fewer shared spaces to connect in person, many are worried that technology is not just replacing face-to-face interaction, but also removing the incentives to engage beyond your doorstep.
In terms of communities, it's very, very easy to do everything on your phone. And it's very, very easy to then sit in your house and just send a text rather than make a phone call to somebody. So that sense of community that I actually remember when I was a kid, it is going.
Frances, SEN teacher, Cambridgeshire
I think after the pandemic there's more of a ‘work from home’ kind of nature which has developed, which has actually destroyed our young generation.
Ruqayyah, support worker, Peterborough
Social media has disconnected us. You used to go around and grab a coffee with your mates. Now you just text them. And if you do go to a restaurant, you don’t talk, you just go on your phone.
Jamie, builder, Dudley
Many feel that this isolation has deepened since the pandemic. For some, Britain’s social life has never fully recovered from lockdown, which forced many to drop the rituals and activities that brought them together with others, and they haven't picked them back up since.
I worked from home for three years during lockdown, and mentally it has really affected me. Because you’re stuck in the house and not seeing people.
Linzi, bank worker, Merthyr Tydfil
Lockdown changed a few things. I used to go in the pub and socialise, but after Covid I don’t, I’m less likely to talk to people now.
Gordon, painter, Dudley
Younger Britons are far less trusting of those around them than those who are older
Alongside feeling more disconnected from British society, the poll also revealed that Gen Z and Millennial Britons are far less trusting than older people.
Asked to choose between two opposing statements - “most people can be trusted” or “you can’t be too careful with most people” - nearly half of Britons (47 per cent) believe that ‘most people can be trusted’. This drops to just over a third (34 per cent) of 18-24 year olds, and hardly four in ten (37 per cent) of 25 - 34 year olds.
Is this social disconnect linked to political fragmentation?
Those who most strongly feel this sense of disconnection seem to often be shifting away from mainstream parties. Compared to other voter groups, Reform supporters and non-voters are considerably more likely to feel like “strangers in their own country”, to feel disconnected from society, and are less likely to believe that most people can be trusted than other party supporters.
Most Britons think the system is not set up to serve ordinary people
The overwhelming majority of Britons (74 per cent) think that the system is rigged to serve the rich and influential. Just 26 per cent are more likely to say that in the UK the system works for the majority of people.
However, within this, there are stark divides among people who have had access to different levels of formal education. While 56 per cent of those who didn’t complete secondary education and 44 per cent of those who took GCSE or equivalents strongly agree the system is rigged, that figure falls to 27 per cent and 25 per cent among those who have completed postgraduate education.
That divide in terms of formal education persists throughout questions of cohesion, marking a growing ‘connection gap’ between degree holders and those without.
When Britons talk about the rigged system in focus groups, they refer both to politicians, but also big business. that they feel isn’t up holding its end of the social contract.
I've actually given up on the system, if I'm being totally open and honest with you. Yeah, nothing really changes ever. You go from one bunch of lying so-and-so’s to the next lot it, would seem.
Gary, sales manager, Bourne
I mean, it's all these bankers. It's disgusting. They need to tax these companies properly. Your Costas and BP and all the billions they've made the shareholders. To me it's not rocket science, saying, tax people properly.
Samantha, employment officer, Beverley
When you talk about growth in Peterborough though... Peter has got loads bigger, but we've lost the showground, leisure centre, swimming pool (...) Who cares about growth if it's not good growth?
Paul, teacher, Peterborough
Many believe that British Identity is threatened by multiculturalism
This research reveals a stark risk facing social cohesion in the UK - a sense among some Britons that multiculturalism is at odds with British culture.
This comes with the caveat that Britons may hold varied views on what is meant by ‘multiculturalism’- some may see it as an ideological project to integrate cultures, some simply as ethnic and cultural diversity, and others as cultures existing alongside each other but in isolation. The next phase of the research will dig deeper into people’s understanding of the phrase. However, we find that overall, the public is split on whether multiculturalism benefits (53 per cent) or harms (47 per cent) our national identity.
In focus groups, Britons raise failures in integration as evidence that British values and culture are at risk.
Integration, it's like, yeah, if you do come to the UK, integrate where as a lot of these people don't want to. They want to stay in their own community. They don't want to mix with the UK values.
Dave, builder, Helsby
We've got such a multicultural country now and people don't really understand the different cultures unless you have friends, families, whatever it might be, you don't fully understand it. And I think people are so scared of upsetting and saying the wrong thing. And so then it is almost easier to just stay in these silos.
Leanne, charity manager, Blythe
However, Britons do not just see integration as something that ‘other people’ should have to do, or the responsibility of minorities. Instead, many want to see a cross-societal focus on integration, accompanied by proper investment.
Britons also do not see being part of an ethnic minority as a barrier to being British - with the overwhelming majority rejecting the notion that people of different ethnicities will never be as British as white people. This applies across age groups, and appears to be becoming a more common belief with each generation.
Community tensions
The legacy of the summer riots
From focus groups, it’s clear that the fallout from last summer’s riots continues to reverberate and affect community cohesion.
The government’s response to the riots is still a point of tension in conversations with some of the public. For many people, Keir Starmer's firm response is seen as one of his most impressive moments in government. However, a minority sympathise with some of the rioters’ motivations - even though the vast majority even of this group condemn their actions - and feel that the government’s response was too heavy-handed, and infringed on freedom of speech.
It’s a buildup of frustration, of having their freedom of speech taken away.
Alison, engraver, Hull
Racism and religious tensions
Others felt the Government hadn’t done enough since the riots to tackle prejudice and discrimination.
In a focus group in Peterborough, Muslim participants raised deep concerns about rising hate and racism in their city post Southport. They feared community tensions, citing recent incidents of violence and feeling a sense of worry that the conflict in India and Pakistan could exacerbate already strained relations.
The most worrying thing is the crime rate in terms of the community cohesion. It's literally falling apart. And there was a violent attack last - was it today or yesterday - on Lincoln Road. I think the girl got attacked, literally was kicked in the head and this was happening broad daylight,
Nurun, retail owner, Peterborough
When there's something that happens globally, it just impacts us throughout the moment. And then we've got this thing with India, Pakistan. I’d love to walk around with a visible flag saying ‘I'm Bangladeshi, leave me out of it!’
Kiran, team leader, Peterborough
As the Israel-Gaza conflict continues, we also find that, though most Britons do believe that the UK is a safe place for both Muslim and Jewish people, some are anxious. A quarter of people say that, in 2025, the UK is a very or mostly unsafe place for Jewish people, while 16% say the same for those who are Muslim.
The future
Our polling also reveals that many Britons hold a pessimistic view of the country’s future. Barely more than a quarter believe that Britain’s best days are still to come. One exception to this trend is among the highly educated—individuals with postgraduate or doctoral degrees are generally more optimistic. Among most other demographic groups and particularly those who haven’t completed university education, there is a sense that Britain’s best years are behind us - reflecting a growing educational gap.
We all saw what can happen last summer when anger and mistrust boil over and threaten the fabric of our society. The answers to this don’t lie in Whitehall. By listening to people closest to the ground about what causes division and what builds unity in their neighbourhood, we can build a blueprint for cohesion rooted in local leadership and community power. This project will turn those local stories into national change.
Matthew Bolton, Executive Director of Citizens UK
What we’ve seen in this polling is the urgent sense that 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 polling, 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.
Marc Stears, Director, UCL Policy Lab
Above all else, this research shows an urgent need to think again about how we rebuild a united and cohesive society. The polling puts into sharp relief something that will come as no surprise to many Britons - a growing sense that we’ve turned inward, away from each other, becoming more distant and less connected. The Prime Minister’s warning that we risk becoming an ‘island of strangers’ resonates with millions who say they feel disconnected from those around them. But it would be a mistake to say that immigration and lack of integration are the sole causes of our fragmenting social fabric. The public point to a range of forces driving us apart: some cite the retreat from workplaces to screens; others talk about the loss of shared spaces and rituals that once brought us together. For many, it’s the simple feeling that the cost of living crisis has made a social life feel like a luxury. It will come as no surprise that this sense of social disconnection is felt most sharply by those who are economically insecure. Meanwhile, a pernicious graduate gap appears to be opening up, with those who have degrees generally feeling more connected and optimistic than those who don't. There is a clear need for new creative solutions to help bring people together, and facilitate meaningful connections. That’s why we’re delighted to be working with UCL Policy Lab and Citizens UK, launching This Place Matters, a new project to provide a blueprint for a more cohesive, united country.
Luke Tryl, UK Director at More in Common