
Dr Antonio Silva
Principal Advisor
In cohesive societies people trust each other, feel part of a shared identity and are able to work together to create a common good. In turn, these societies tend to be happier, richer and more peaceful.
However, multicultural societies face particular challenges in building social cohesion, as people tend to be less trusting of others who are different from themselves. This erosion of trust is even greater where segregation exists between groups.
In the UK, while minority populations have become more dispersed across the country, they have also, in some cases, become more segregated. This is particularly apparent in schools, where more than half of children from ethnic minorities attend schools where ethnic minorities form the majority.
Unfortunately, evidence suggests that existing approaches to promote integration have had limited impact to date.
To overcome segregation and create strong, cohesive societies, we need to understand what does and does not work. That’s why we’re publishing a new report today, with partners at the Migration Policy Institute, on how behavioural science can help to foster cohesion and integration – and, importantly, build a solid evidence base for future policy.
We give several examples in the report, including:
We are currently trialing these ideas with schools and local governments around the UK, and we plan to report the initial findings earlier next year.
Join our webinar to discuss the new report today: 15:30 BST/ 16:30 CEST / 10:30 ET
Principal Advisor