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Is the UK divided?

5th - 12th June 2026

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43573

Total votes

10512

5-11 votes

33061

11-16+ votes

The National Conversation launched in May. Led by the Independent Commission for Community and Cohesion, this nationwide “listening exercise” aims to better understand what people value about their community life and what they might like it to look like in the future. With the minimum age to participate set at 16, we are delighted to partner with the National Conversation by putting one of their questions to our voters. This VoteTopic’s data will then contribute to their national findings. Flags and riots dominate the headlines; political and media narratives would have us believe that, as a country, we are more divided than ever. Do young people agree?

Primary 5-11 voters were asked, "Is it easy to get on well together?"

The Secondary, 16+ & College question was, “Is Britain divided?"

43,573 young people in the UK took part in this vote with more joining discussions in their classrooms.

child

5-11 voter

People need to try to be more united with each other. If we dislike different things, we should respect each other's opinions.

11-16 voter

We don't think people argue as much because people are more accepting of others in this generation.

student

11-16 voter

I think it would be really difficult to make us united due to the different cultures and beliefs - so we're always going to be divided.

Feedback from our Impact Partners...

At Primary, 7-11-year olds were almost 1.6x more likely to vote that it was hard to get along with people than 5-7-year olds.

  • Primary pupils were asked to discuss whether it was easy to get along with people.
  • There was a significant difference in voting between age groups, with younger pupils returning a majority "Yes" vote and their older peers returning a "No".
  • "No" voters referenced differences in opinion and culture as being potential trigger points for arguments.
  • Many pupils discussed how it is still important to try and understand and respect one another, even if it is hard to do sometimes.
81.5% of Secondary and 16+ & College students voted that Britain was a divided country.

  • There was a strong majority that Britain is a divided country at both Secondary and 16+ & College levels.
  • Students suggested many different reasons for this, primarily the economy, the media and politicians.
  • Some discussed how, even though they saw division at a national level, they felt united in their own friendships, schools and communities.
Many voters saw the economy and the media as the main causes behind division.

  • For many, division was caused by economic problems, such as the cost of living and wealth inequality.
  • Others blamed the media for presenting the country as more divided as it really is.
  • Students across age ranges saw some politicians as bearing some responsibility for deliberately stoking division to further their own political ends.
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