At the beginning of 2020, we already knew we were in an era of fast and accelerating change. We argued that our fragmenting politics was harming our ability, as a nation, to respond. And then the pandemic hit. Change went exponential. Holding Britain together got harder, and more important than ever.
That’s why our response to the Covid-19 crisis was to bring citizens into a national conversation about what comes next. These findings will shape our work in 2021 and beyond.
Renew Normal was just one programme in a successful – if challenging – year for Demos. We launched our Public Participation Lab to find innovative ways to involve citizens in policy debate, and have surveyed, polled, interviewed or engaged with more people than ever before. Our technology hub CASM continued its pioneering Good Web Project to build the intellectual and policy framework for a liberal democratic internet.
We continued our far-reaching research programme, bringing fresh thinking and policy innovation to issues as diverse as online learning and food labelling. And we continued to push the boundaries of practice, too, with our expanding action research programme piloting and evaluating new ideas on credit, local growth, and healthy ageing.
At Demos, all our work is done in partnership: with our authors, our donors, our sponsors, and the experts and citizens who get involved. If you’re interested in being part of the Demos story in 2021, as an expert, as a sponsor, or as a citizen, please do get in touch.
Read about what Demos has been up to in 2020, and learn about our vision for 2021 here.