The Policy Institute

Are Culture Wars Finally Taking Hold? Division, tension and identity in the UK today YouTube video by The Policy Institute at King's College London

⬇️ Watch the full event, with @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social, @ukandeu.bsky.social, @jburnmurdoch.ft.com, Dr Kate Ferguson, Gideon Skinner & @bobbyduffy.bsky.social

🔊 “we've seen a big increase to 67% of people saying that [the UK is divided by culture wars, compared to 54% in 2023]... that 13% increase is really quite large"

@bobbyduffy.bsky.social at last week's event on the perceptions, drivers & consequences of the UK's culture wars

🧵⬇️ Full video below

EVENT: The case for cash: do cash transfers work in practice?

Join us, @schoolforgovt.bsky.social, @homelessnessimpact.bsky.social, @ligia-teixeira.bsky.social, @michael-sanders.bsky.social & @bobbyduffy.bsky.social to explore the impact of cash transfers on poverty

➡️ www.kcl.ac.uk/events/the-c...

We are delighted to announce @suzannahb.bsky.social, Editor-in-Chief of @civilserviceworld.bsky.social, joins us as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow & will be a guest lecturer on our ‘History of the Civil Service’ postgraduate module

MA Government Studies: www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgr...

Are Culture Wars Finally Taking Hold? Division, tension and identity in the UK today YouTube video by The Policy Institute at King's College London

⬇️ Watch the full event, with @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social, @ukandeu.bsky.social, @jburnmurdoch.ft.com, Dr Kate Ferguson, Gideon Skinner & @bobbyduffy.bsky.social

🔊 “across the board a gap [is] opening up between the share of under 30s in each country who identify as more left wing or more right wing"

@jburnmurdoch.ft.com at last week's event on the perceptions, drivers & consequences of the UK's culture wars

🧵⬇️ Full video below

Are Culture Wars Finally Taking Hold? Division, tension and identity in the UK today YouTube video by The Policy Institute at King's College London

⬇️ Watch the full event, with @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social, @ukandeu.bsky.social, @jburnmurdoch.ft.com, Dr Kate Ferguson, Gideon Skinner & @bobbyduffy.bsky.social

🔊 “adversaries have recognised the cheapest way to destabilise democracies is now not to breach our borders with tanks... the cheapest way is... through these wedge issues"

Dr Kate Ferguson at this week's event on the perceptions, drivers & consequences of the UK's culture wars

🧵⬇️ Full video below

We're also thrilled to be continuing our links with many existing honorary and visiting faculty members, who make such a valuable contribution to the university community ⬇️

We're delighted to welcome a range of new honorary and visiting faculty members across the Policy Institute.

The new appointments will deepen our connections among government, policy, journalism and academia

Read more ➡️ www.kcl.ac.uk/news/new-vis...

Are Culture Wars Finally Taking Hold? Division, tension and identity in the UK today YouTube video by The Policy Institute at King's College London

⬇️ Watch the full event, with @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social, @ukandeu.bsky.social, @jburnmurdoch.ft.com, Dr Kate Ferguson, Gideon Skinner & @bobbyduffy.bsky.social

🔊 “I do think symbols matter…that question...about government being on platforms like X is one that is very much up for debate, and it’s a debate that we’re having"

🤳 Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy on the role of social media in culture war debates at our event last night

🧵⬇️ Full video below

"Are culture wars finally taking hold?"

Lisa Nandy speaking on the new culture wars research at @policyatkings.bsky.social

"I think the answer is no. I think there is a ceiling on the amount of chaos that people will tolerate". She cites Trump defeat after term one + Johnson/Cummings defeat

A full house tonight, exploring the shifting perceptions & realities of the UK's culture wars w/ @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social , @ukandeu.bsky.social, The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP, @jburnmurdoch.ft.com, Dr Kate Ferguson, Gideon Skinner & @bobbyduffy.bsky.social

📺 Watch live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIZM...

This research is the latest instalment in our series on UK culture wars, investigating the drivers and features of cultural division in the UK

🗓️ Tonight we're discussing new findings from this series with The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy & expert panelists

📺 Livestream: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/are-cultur...

UK's sense of urgency on net zero and support for climate policies falls sharply, study finds | King's College London Public support for UK reaching net zero by 2050 is waning

Catch up on our latest culture wars study with
@ipsosintheuk.bsky.social and @cast-centre.bsky.social, on shifting attitudes towards climate policy

⬇️

... and support has fallen for major climate policies since 2021.

Support for:

🚗 Low-traffic neighbourhoods: 50% ('21) to 38% ('25)

🔌 Electric vehicle purchase subsidies: 51% ('21) to 34% ('25)

✈️ Frequent flyer taxes: 64% ('21) to 52% ('25)

🐓 Environmental food taxes: 46% ('21) to 33% ('25)

👀 ICYMI

📉 The share of the UK public who say the country needs to reduce carbon emissions to net zero sooner than 2050 has nearly halved since 2021...

🧵⬇️

NEW: Can community-based solutions help reduce school absence?

🎒 Our EDIT team carried out an evaluation of the charity OnSide's “Youth Zones”, finding regular attendance at these centres is associated with meaningful reductions in school absence.

➡️ www.onsideyouthzones.org/backtoschool/

UK's sense of urgency on net zero and support for climate policies falls sharply, study finds | King's College London Public support for UK reaching net zero by 2050 is waning

Catch up on our latest culture wars study with @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social and @cast-centre.bsky.social, on shifting attitudes towards climate policy

⬇️

⚖️ Perceived tension between climate change sceptics & believers is higher than many other social divides – 64% say there is tension, more than between Leavers & Remainers (52%).

However, most people (68%) do not consider themselves to be either a climate change sceptic or a climate change activist.

📺 Catch our @annetteboaz.bsky.social speaking with the Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital about how research can make a real difference across health and disability services

📆 Tuesday 24 February

➡️ hollandbloorview.ca/research-edu...

Delighted to have the inimitable Visiting Prof Sir Kevin Tebbit to talk all things UK Defence at our class on Defence, Intelligence and Security Decision-Making with Visiting Prof Lord Simon Case.

Applications for the 2026/27 academic year now open: lnkd.in/e27J7UHC. @strandgroup.bsky.social

EVENT: Are Culture Wars Finally Taking Hold?Division, tension and identity in the UK today

Join us, @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social, Lisa Nandy, @jburnmurdoch.ft.com and an expert panel to explore the shifting perceptions & realities of the UK's culture wars

➡️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/are-cultur...

UK's sense of urgency on net zero and support for climate policies falls sharply, study finds | King's College London Public support for UK reaching net zero by 2050 is waning

Catch up on our latest culture wars study with
@ipsosintheuk.bsky.social and @cast-centre.bsky.social, on shifting attitudes towards climate policy

⬇️

🏭 The share of the UK public who say the country needs to reduce carbon emissions to net zero sooner than 2050 has nearly halved since 2021.

📉 29% of the public now say the UK should achieve net zero before the government's 2050 target – down from 54% in 2021, when this question was last asked.

UK's sense of urgency on net zero and support for climate policies falls sharply, study finds | King's College London Public support for UK reaching net zero by 2050 is waning

Read the full findings, which come from a 4k sample via the @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social KnowledgePanel using random probability sampling – the most rigorous sampling method available – which involves providing offline households with tablets and internet access to ensure representivity ⬇️

This research is the latest instalment in our series on UK culture wars, investigating the drivers and features of cultural division in the UK

🗓️ Join us, The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy & expert panelists on the 25th February to discuss recent findings from this series

➡️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/are-cultur...

“This shift has happened as climate policy has become increasingly caught up in wider culture war debates"

💬 @bobbyduffy.bsky.social

Support has fallen for major climate policies since 2021.

Support for:

🚗 Low-traffic neighbourhoods: 50% ('21) to 38% ('25)

🔌 Electric vehicle purchase subsidies: 51% ('21) to 34% ('25)

✈️ Frequent flyer taxes: 64% ('21) to 52% ('25)

🐓 Environmental food taxes: 46% ('21) to 33% ('25)