• Poll of over 10,000 Brits examines social isolation and the state of belonging in the UK
• More than half (52%) of Bristol Central residents don’t feel that they belong to their neighbourhood or street
• Meanwhile, Bristolians have the strongest support for initiatives to promote belonging in the UK
• The Belonging Forum is campaigning for practical, affordable initiatives to end social isolation

Bristol, 13 May 2024: Bristolians are least likely to feel like they ‘belong’ to their street or local area, a new poll of 10,000 Brits has revealed.

Bristol Central residents have a greater lack of attachment to their neighbourhood or street than any other constituency in the UK. In the constituency, represented by Thangam Debbonaire MP, Shadow Secretary for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, more than half of residents (52%) reported these feelings. Bristol South and Bristol East also feature in the bottom five, at 51% each.

Of the top 10 UK constituencies whose residents reported the lowest feelings of attachment to their local area, seven are located in South West England, the largestever poll into belonging in the UK commissioned by the Belonging Forum, revealed. Eight of them are located in urban areas and are all located in England.

TABLE: Top constituencies where people report “feeling strongly/not strongly that they belong to their neighbourhood/street” (seats in the South West highlighted yellow)

TOP 10 FOR “STRONGLY”		TOP 10 FOR “NOT STRONGLY”
Dwyfor Meirionnydd	76%	Bristol Central	52%
North Northumberland	71%	Brighton Pavilion	52%
Ynys Môn	71%	Bristol South	51%
Hexham	70%	Bristol East	51%
Caerfyrddin	70%	Exeter	51%
Ceredigion Preseli	70%	Filton and Bradley Stoke	51%
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale	69%	Plymouth Sutton and Devonport	51%
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk	69%	Cambridge	50%
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross	68%	Gloucester	50%
North Herefordshire	68%	Oxford West and Abingdon	50%

Similarly, Bristol Central is the second worst area in the UK for not knowing your neighbours, with three in five people (60%) reporting they don’t know their neighbours well.

Additionally, residents in Bristol Central also feature in the top five constituencies for feeling no strong connection to the country as a whole (41%). Eight of the top 10 who feel like they do not belong in the UK were Scottish constituencies. The only other English seat to feature was Brighton Pavilion, which took the top spot. Meanwhile, Bristol residents have the strongest support in the country for more initiatives to promote belonging. Debbonaire’s constituents in Bristol Central featured top of the list for strongly supporting more intergenerational events (82%), local festivals and events (78%), shared green spaces (64%), and independent shops (62%). The constituency also featured second in advocating for more “time in nature” community events (85%).

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.

“Our Charter for Belonging, in response, 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.”

Of the top 10 constituencies for people reporting feeling strongly that they belong to their neighbourhood or street, rural constituencies dominate the list.

Four are in rural Wales (including the overall top), three are in rural Scotland, and three are in England.

An impressive 76% of people in Dwyfor Meirionnydd in Wales feel this way with North Northumberland coming in second with 71%.