Projects
BROWSE OUR CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
Good Business
The financial crisis revealed a series of underlying weaknesses in the economy, from an over-reliance on low-paid, low-skilled jobs to an underinvestment in productive enterprise. Led by Duncan O'Leary, this programme explores how companies can do ‘good business’, aiming for solutions that lead to the decentralisation of power – to employees, consumers and communities.
Generation strains
Duncan O'Leary, Jo SalterThis project will analyse the generational shift in attitudes towards the welfare state and its far-reaching implications.
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Sweet charity
Jonathan Birdwell, Ally PagetThis project aims to quantify and measure the actual economic and social value of Britain's 5,500 charity shops within communities.
MoreWelfare and public services
In an age of austerity, budgets are shrinking yet demand for services like education, health and social care is rising. Policymakers must establish what people’s real priorities are – and learn to do more with less. Led by Claudia Wood, this programme investigates those priorities through research on public attitudes to key areas of the welfare state.
Time and place
Claudia Wood, Ally Paget, Jo SalterThis research aims to identify precisely what values people associate with dying in a home environment and establish why so many more people say they want to die at home.
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Transitions at the end of life
Claudia Wood, Ally Paget, Jo SalterDemos is exploring the possibility of personalised end of life care that reflects personal values and also involves maximum choice and control for care users and their families.
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A wider lens
Duncan O'Leary, Jo SalterThrough this project, Demos hopes to paint a detailed and evidence-based picture of the lives of families who are struggling with the cumulative effect of multiple disadvantage in Scotland today.
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The Power of Prepaid
Jo Salter, Claudia Wood, Ally PagetThis research is exploring the potential of prepaid card technology to achieve a personalised, integrated, empowering state.
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The Home Cure
Claudia Wood, Jo SalterThis project looks at the role social housing providers can play in helping people back to independent living following a period in hospital.
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Under One Roof
Claudia Wood, Phillida CheethamDemos is currently looking at how social housing providers can act as co-ordinators and hubs for support and earlier intervention for their clients.
MoreCitizenship and political participation
Britain continues to experience declining public trust and participation in formal politics, in addition to rising loneliness and social isolation. Led by Jonathan Birdwell, this programme explores the ideas and institutions that can help bring together a more fragmented society.
Be prepared: Scouts and employability
Jonathan BirdwellThis research will seek to explore the extent to which the Scouting movement helps impart employability skills such as team work, confidence, interpersonal skills and leadership
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Families, parenting and harmful drinking
Jonathan Birdwell, Emma VandoreThis project examines how a parent's problematic relationship with alcohol can impact on parenting and children’s perceptions of alcohol.
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Faith and society
Jonathan BirdwellThis project explores the role of faith groups in 21st century British society – in particular, their role in progressive politics.
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Eurovisions
Jonathan BirdwellThis project will investigate young people's attitudes towards the EU across Europe.
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Backsliders: measuring democracy in the EU
Jonathan Birdwell, Sebastien FeveThis project will explore how the European Union can prevent 'backsliding' on democratic commitments among member states.
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Ending Forced Marriage
Max Wind-Cowie, Phillida CheethamThis project aims to identify an effective cross-border approach to tackling forced marriage in Britain.
MoreIntegration and national identity
Questions of national identity are all around us, on Englishness and the future of the Union, to appropriate responses to historically high levels of immigration into the UK. Led by Max Wind-Cowie, this programme aims to close the gap between the ordinary voter and the political class to develop a sense of how we live together.
The politics of demography
David Goodhart, Max Wind-Cowie, Eric KaufmannThis research will analyse the phenonemon of 'majority retreat', using the 2011 Census and demographic surveys to investigate the true nature of immigration and integration in Britain.
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Patriotism and Pride
Max Wind-CowieThis project will focus on 'practical patriotism', investigating the things that make people feel proud and give them a sense of belonging.
MoreThe Centre for the Analysis of Social Media (CASM)
A collaboration between Demos and the Text Analytics Group at the University of Sussex, CASM combines computer science with social science to analyse social media. Led by Jamie Bartlett, its work will develop social media analysis as a valid instrument of research that meets the needs of policy and decision-makers.
The Centre for the Analysis of Social Media
Jamie Bartlett, Carl Miller, Rutger Birnie, Noelle RumballThe Centre produces new political, social and policy insight and understanding through social media research.
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Populism in Europe
Jamie Bartlett, Jonathan BirdwellBuilding on The New Face of Digital Populism, Demos is publishing a series of country-specific reports on the growth of populism in Europe.
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Demos Finance
Demos Finance is a new financial services research unit, providing industry leaders, policymakers and the public with a reliable source of objective and easily comprehensible analysis of the sector. Led by Andrew Freeman, it will generate new ideas and public policy solutions, will help to explain and ‘translate’ complex arguments to a non-specialist public.
Demos Finance
Andrew Freeman, Jodie GinsbergDemos Finance is a new financial services research unit, providing industry leaders, policymakers and the public with reliable, objective and easy to understand analysis of the sector.
MorePolitical Ideas
Alongside and connected with our research programes, Demos has political projects focused on the burning issues in current political thinking.
Are We There Yet?
Max Wind-CowieThis project will investigate the Conservative Party's relationship to issues of race and identity.
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The Centre for London
Ben RogersCentre for London is a politically independent think tank focused on the big challenges facing London.
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Next Time it's Personal
Max Wind-CowieThe Progressive Conservatism Project is undertaking new research into how Britain can reform unemployment benefits in order to spread the cost more fairly between individuals, employers and the state.
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Open Left
Richard DarlingtonOpen Left is about rediscovering the Left's idealism, pluralism and appetite for radical ideas. It starts by asking an essential, but contested question: what does it mean to be on the Left today?
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Recapitalising the Poor
Max Wind-Cowie, Jonty Olliff-CooperThis project looks at ways of using conservative theory and ideology to deliver progressive aims in the context of poverty in the UK.
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Reinventing the Firm
William DaviesThis project seeks to raise profound economic and philosophical questions about the nature of ownership, the structure of the firm and policy options for diversifying Britain's business structures.
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