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An early look at the University of Oxford’s National Conversation research was shared at a Parliament event exploring how communities across the UK can live well together.
A Parliament event at the House of Commons, organised by The Together Coalition, brought together researchers, policymakers, community organisations and representatives from across public life to discuss the work of the Independent Commission on Community & Cohesion and the National Conversation.
Hosted by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the event provided an early look at research from the University of Oxford team behind the National Conversation, a large-scale public listening exercise exploring what brings people together and what drives division across the UK.
The Independent Commission on Community & Cohesion is co-chaired by Sir Sajid Javid and Jon Cruddas. Speaking at the event, the Co-Chairs highlighted the importance of rebuilding the social fabric of communities and ensuring that the voices and experiences of communities are central to developing solutions.
Jon Cruddas also recognised the contribution of Nuffield College, the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science (LCDS) and the research teams involved in the National Conversation, describing the survey as central to the evidence being gathered by the Commission.
The National Conversation invited people across the UK to share their experiences of community life, connection, belonging and division. More than 100,000 people took part before the survey closed at the end of August, providing a substantial new source of evidence on how people experience their communities and what they believe could bring people closer together.
Professor Melinda Mills, Director of LCDS, shared an early overview of the research, highlighting its scale and geographical coverage, as well as the range of data being collected. Alongside survey responses, the National Conversation includes voice notes, geolocated data and the Social Barometer, allowing researchers to explore experiences at a more granular local level.
With analysis continuing, the National Conversation team will share further findings and insights over the coming months.
The Centre is grateful to Dame Julia Black for joining us, and to Nuffield College and The Leverhulme Trust for their support, as well as Sarah Lewington from Oxford Population Health.
We would also like to thank the LCDS research team who have driven this work, including Andrea Tilstra, Morten Kjær Thomsen, Sai Campbell and Daniel Valdenegro, alongside our colleagues at /together.
And a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the evening, as well as the Commission funders, partners, community organisations and media partners who have helped make the National Conversation possible.
About the National Conversation
The National Conversation is a UK-wide public listening exercise exploring what unites and divides people and how communities can live well together. The research brings together large-scale survey data with new approaches including voice notes, geolocated data and the Social Barometer to understand people's experiences of community, connection and belonging.
The National Conversation is part of the work of the Independent Commission on Community & Cohesion, co-chaired by Sir Sajid Javid and Jon Cruddas.
