Brighton Pavilion residents least likely in the country to know neighbours or feel like they belong

Eight of the top 10 who feel like they do not belong in the UK were Scottish constituencies with Bristol Central, the only other English seat on the list, coming in fourth.

Meanwhile, six of the top 10 constituencies who feel most strongly that they do belong to the UK, lie within urban areas, whereas four are located in rural areas. Of these 10 constituencies, eight of them lie specifically in the North East of England.

Brighton Pavilion was an outlier in several more areas of the landmark survey conducted by the Belonging Forum. Its residents were also the most likely in the UK to say they don’t know their neighbours (44%) and the least likely to feel like they belong to the local area.

With the coast on residents’ doorstep, the constituency also topped the list of constituencies where people answered “no interest at all” (43%) when asked if they wanted “more spaces for people to meet” (e.g. community centres, libraries, youth centres).

The research aims to examine social isolation and people’s sense of belonging in modern Britain, as well as inform a series of policies and initiatives which the Belonging Forum will campaign for, known as the Charter for Belonging.

TABLE: Top constituencies for people reporting they feel strongly/not strongly that they belong to the UK

Kim Samuel, Founder of the Belonging Forum and author of On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation, said:

“Our research – the first of its kind in the UK – has identified acute issues regarding loneliness and social isolation in communities across the UK.

“Feeling a sense of belonging extends beyond interpersonal connections to encompass a broader sense of connection to place, power, and purpose – for all people in society.

“Belonging to your community and country is a very important element in this – and it is worrying that a significant proportion of residents in Brighton do not feel rooted in their local area or wider country.

Informed by the research, our Charter for Belonging will outline common sense and affordable ways to help people mix with different generations, overcome shared challenges, and form lasting connections with others in their community – whilst also providing the safe spaces to do so.

“We need our public, private and third sectors to come together to take decisive action to address this issue—and we now want to hear from the public about what policies and initiatives they want to see us campaign for.”