
Tom Harris
Opportunity Insights
Social capital – the network of personal and group-based relationships in a society – has long been thought to be an important factor in shaping economic opportunity. In the United States, Chetty et al. (2022) found that children from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to achieve higher incomes in adulthood in communities that foster more friendships between high- and low-income individuals.
In this study, we examined whether similar patterns hold in the United Kingdom. Our measures of social connection are based on data from Facebook for approximately 20 million UK residents (about 58% of the population aged 25–64). We estimated each person’s income and social connections, examining factors such as network cohesion, volunteering, and friendships between different income groups.
Using economic mobility data from England (LEO dataset), we analysed how social ties impact economic opportunity. We also studied the link between social capital and well-being using survey data on life satisfaction, trust, and support. Finally, we use Facebook data to estimate economic mobility across the UK, extending beyond England.
This research was carried out by an international consortium including BIT, together with Meta, Stripe Partners, the RSA, Neighbourly Lab, and researchers from Stanford and Opportunity Insights.
The work of BIT, the RSA, Stripe Partners, and Neighbourly Lab on this project is funded by the Nuffield Foundation. However, the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation. Contributions from Meta are self-funded.
Opportunity Insights
Meta
Stanford
Meta
Meta
Meta
Head of Policy
Principal Advisor
Advisor
Stripe Partners
Stripe Partners
Stripe Partners
Meta
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