5 minutes | Friday, 7 December 2018
A two-year inquiry into civil society warns of a decade of continuing social upheaval and calls for widespread changes in the approaches of charities, community groups and others to take a leading role in responding.
The Civil Society Futures Inquiry – the first major inquiry of its kind for over two decades – reports the country is facing a cocktail of democratic, digital, economic and environmental turmoil. Over 3,000 people were asked about our society revealing major concerns over the future of local communities, racism, social divisions around Brexit, inequality, the automation of work and climate change.
Yet those same people expressed feeling unable to make a difference in a society – despite demanding to be heard. From local planning decisions to national politics and global technology, the inquiry warns that people feel ignored and divided as the future is shaped, saying communities want much more power over their lives, and want to come together.
Julia Unwin, who chaired The Civil Society Futures Inquiry, joined us on the line to tell us more.