𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴? A record high of 19% of people, nearly one in five, now say that both taxes and spending on public services should be reduced, more than double the proportion recorded just four years ago. In the latest episode of our ATTITUDES podcast, we look beyond the Budget headlines to explore how public views on tax and spending are changing, and what may be driving these shifts in opinion. Listen now: shows.acast.com/6ab3b4aac974… Explore the BSA findings : natcen.ac.uk/publications/bs… #𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗗𝗮𝘆 #𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗢𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 #𝗧𝗮𝘅𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 #𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 #𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 #𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁

New analysis from @TheKingsFund, using data from NatCen's British Social Attitudes survey (BSA), explores how different generations view the NHS. We're delighted to see BSA findings contributing to this important conversation about the future of the NHS and public attitudes towards healthcare. Read the full report: Generational differences in attitudes towards the NHS | The King's Fund #BritishSocialAttitudes #BSA #NHS #SocialResearch #PublicOpinion

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 📅 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟱 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 | 𝟭𝟮.𝟯𝟬-𝟭.𝟯𝟬𝗽𝗺 🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘄: natcen.ac.uk/events/british-… What do people in Britain think about defence spending, national security, and the UK's role in the world? Join us for the launch of the latest findings from the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, Britain's longest-running measure of public opinion. At this online event, our expert speakers will explore new findings on public attitudes towards defence and national security, discussing what they reveal about the challenges facing the UK today and Britain's place on the global stage. We hope you can join us for what promises to be a timely and thought-provoking discussion. #BritishSocialAttitudes #BSA #Defence #NationalSecurity #PublicOpinion #SocialResearch #NatCenResearch #PolicyResearch #UKPolitics

How have attitudes to work changed over the past decade, and what do those shifts tell us about the future of the UK labour market? Join NatCen and the @resfoundation on 3 November for a discussion of new findings from the latest British Social Attitudes Survey. We'll explore how major changes in the labour market, from the growth of flexible working and the gig economy to the impact of the pandemic, have influenced public attitudes towards work. The event will feature insights from @whatukthinks (NatCen and the University of Strathclyde), @sarahoconnor_(Financial Times) and @hcslaughter_ (Resolution Foundation), and will be chaired Ruth Curtice (Resolution Foundation). Attendees will have the opportunity to join in person or online and put questions to the panel. 📅 3 November, 1.30pm-2.45pm 📍 In person and online 🔗 Register here: resolutionfoundation.org/eve… #BritishSocialAttitudes #BSA #FutureOfWork #LabourMarket #PublicAttitudes #Research #Policy resolutionfoundation.org/eve…

Public views on cannabis regulation have changed significantly over recent decades, but opinion remains complex and nuanced. Our latest ATTITUDES podcast digs into the evidence behind the debate, drawing on new findings from the British Social Attitudes survey. Host Mark Easton speaks with experts about what the data reveals, why attitudes are changing, and what questions remain for policymakers. Take a listen and let us know what you think. 🎧 Listen here: natcen.ac.uk/attitudes-canna… #AttitudesPodcast #Cannabis #BSA #PublicAttitudes #Research #SocialPolicy #NatCen

NatCen was delighted to attend both the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences this year, sharing insights from the latest 2026 British Social Attitudes survey. At Labour Conference, we partnered with @IPPR to host Welfare Under Fire: Understanding British Social Attitudes, exploring public views on welfare, living standards and public services. At Conservative Conference, we partnered with @WeAreBrightBlue to host The Future of Welfare: What Does the Public Want?, bringing together politicians, researchers and policy experts to discuss welfare reform, economic inactivity and public attitudes towards the welfare state. Thanks to all our speakers, partners and attendees for joining two thought-provoking discussions. Together, they highlighted the value of robust social research in informing public debate and policymaking. #BritishSocialAttitudes #PartyConference #PublicPolicy #SocialResearch #Welfare #NatCen 𝗥𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘀 𝗠𝗣 @stephenctimms, Minister for Equalities 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝘆𝗻𝗯𝗲𝗲 @pollytoynbee Columnist, The Guardian 𝗦𝗶𝗿 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 @whatukthinks, Senior Research Fellow, NatCen 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘀 @Henry_J_Parkes, Head of Work, Social Security and Living Standards, IPPR (Chair) 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗻 @amanda_spielman, Shadow Minister for Work & Pensions 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱 @Helen_Barnard, Director of Policy, Research and Impact at the Trussell Trust. 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗶 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗿 @TaliFraser, Commissioning Editor, The Spectator (Chair) 𝗝𝗼𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗣, @JoePJRobertson Isle of Wight East 𝗥𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 @RyanShorthouse, Executive Chair, Bright Blue 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 @AlexScholes6, Research Director, Attitudinal Surveys and NatCen Opinion Panel

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲? In the latest episode of 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗦, @MarkEastonMedia unpacks the evidence behind shifting attitudes towards cannabis, exploring legalisation, perceived harms and the gap between public opinion and current policy. 🎧 Listen now: natcen.ac.uk/attitudes-canna… #Cannabis #PublicOpinion #SocialResearch #Podcast

We're proud to see the Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism, chaired by Professor Peter Fonagy, draw extensively on evidence from two landmark studies delivered by NatCen: the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey and Mental Health of Children and Young People in England. Seeing robust, independent research contribute to such an important review demonstrates the value of high-quality social research in helping decision-makers better understand some of the most pressing issues facing society today. Thanks to our NatCen leads 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗺𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵 and 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘀, and to our collaborators at the @uniofleicester and @CityStGeorges whose expertise and partnership have made this work possible as well as to @NHSEngland, who commissioned both studies. 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 - gov.uk/government/publicatio… 𝗔𝗣𝗠𝗦 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 - natcen.ac.uk/publications/ad… 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 - digital.nhs.uk/data-and-info… #MentalHealth #ADHD #Autism #SocialResearch

𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗱. As new technologies become part of everyday life, people are weighing the potential benefits against concerns around privacy, fairness and accountability. The latest episode of 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗦 examines how attitudes towards AI are evolving across different areas of society. 🎧 Listen now. natcen.ac.uk/attitudes-ai #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #PublicAttitudes #ATTITUDESPodcast #NatCen #SocialResearch

𝗜𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁? Public confidence in higher education is shifting, with more people questioning whether university delivers value in its current form. In the latest episode of 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗦, Mark Easton @MarkEastonMedia explores what's behind these changing views and what they tell us about Britain's relationship with higher education. 🎧 Listen now: natcen.ac.uk/attitudes-unive… #HigherEducation #PublicAttitudes #Universities #ATTITUDESPodcast #NatCen

Following the Prime Minister's announcement of a national commission on electoral reform, the UK's voting system is once again under scrutiny. NatCen's British Social Attitudes data shows support for electoral reform remains higher than at any point before 2021. Support peaked at 60% in 2024, in the immediate aftermath of the most disproportionate election result in modern British history, before easing to 53% in 2025. While opinion has cooled slightly over the last year, a majority of the public still favour changing the voting system, compared with 40% who support retaining First Past the Post. As the debate continues, the data offers an important benchmark for understanding how public attitudes towards electoral reform are evolving. Read the full report here: natcen.ac.uk/publications/bs… #BritishSocialAttitudes #ElectoralReform #Democracy #PublicOpinion #SocialResearch

Introducing 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗦, NatCen’s podcast series exploring the ideas, opinions and trends shaping Britain today through robust social research. Hosted by Mark Easton @MarkEastonMedia, Senior Fellow at NatCen and former BBC Home Editor, 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗦 brings together expert insight, evidence and thoughtful discussion on the issues shaping our lives. 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄: 🤖 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 What does the public really think about AI? This episode explores attitudes towards the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence, and what they could mean for society, work and policymaking. 🎓 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 How do people view universities today? This episode examines public perceptions of higher education and the role universities play in Britain's future. Listen now here natcen.ac.uk/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts and discover what the evidence tells us about some of the biggest issues facing the UK today. #AttitudesPodcast #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #HigherEducation #Universities #SocialResearch #NatCen #Podcast

📢 New from our climate-health research: how do street vendors, porters and motorbike-taxi riders adapt to Vietnam's extreme weather? Dr Anh Vu's new paper finds that outdoor workers in urban Vietnam have built up sophisticated, practical and embodied knowledge for coping with climate-health risks — knowledge that official heat and climate policy often overlooks. Working directly with vendors, porters, construction workers and motorbike-taxi riders across four Vietnamese cities, the research argues that adaptation policy needs to start from what these workers already know, not just top-down approaches. Part of our @wellcometrust funded project on climate-health risk among informal outdoor workers. Read the open-access paper in Global Environmental Change: sciencedirect.com/science/ar…

🎙️Coming soon: ATTITUDES A new podcast from NatCen exploring the ideas, opinions and trends shaping Britain today through the lens of robust social research. Hosted by Mark Easton, NatCen Senior Fellow and former BBC Home Editor, ATTITUDES brings together leading researchers and expert voices to unpack the evidence behind the headlines. From politics and public services to identity, values and social change, each episode explores what people in Britain really think and why it matters. 🎧 Look out for the first episode, coming soon wherever you get your podcasts. #AttitudesPodcast #SocialResearch #PublicAttitudes #EvidenceMatters #NatCen

Supporting disabled employees to stay in work #NewResearch by NatCen for @acasorguk found that disability-related workplace conflict is often driven not by disability itself, but by how organisations respond to requests for support and adjustments.  Martin Mitchell, Senior Researcher at NatCen, explores the findings in more detail in this blog: acas.org.uk/supporting-disab… Read the full report at the link below.  ⬇️ #DisabilityInclusion #WorkplaceWellbeing #Employment #SocialResearch #ResearchImpact

Thank you to everyone who joined us, both in person and online, for the 𝗦𝗶𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲. A special thank you to @BobbyDuffyKings for his lecture, "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵: 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲", which challenged common assumptions about generational divides and explored what the evidence really tells us about how different generations think and behave. We would also like to thank our chair, @LovisaMoller, for expertly guiding the discussion and helping to create an engaging and thought-provoking event for everyone in attendance. If you were unable to join us, you can watch the recording here: natcen.ac.uk/events/sir-roge… Organised in partnership with @CityStGeorges, the Social Research Association and NatCen.