Report Launch: Revealing Social Capital
We’re proud to launch Revealing Social Capital — a new ethnographic report exploring how social connections shape people’s lives, and what helps communities build meaningful relationships across lines of economic difference.
This work sits at the heart of Neighbourly Lab’s mission: to understand how people connect, belong and thrive in the places they call home.
A partnership dedicated to understanding social capital in the UK
With thanks to funding from the Nuffield Foundation, Neighbourly Lab worked in partnership with the RSA, Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), Meta, Stripe Partners and researchers from Stanford University and Opportunity Insights to understand the role social connections play in driving our levels of social capital.
Building on the groundbreaking US study led by Harvard economist Raj Chetty, this UK research set out to explore whether similar patterns hold here. Neighbourly Lab led the place-based ethnographic research – our study explored the experiences of people living in different parts of the UK, providing a textured understanding of their social connections, where and how these connections cross lines of economic difference – and what that looks like in ‘real life’
What we did
We sought to understand what conditions are in place to foster cross-economic mixing and how it is experienced by a diverse range of residents. We spent time in four locations: Birmingham, Ealing, Harrogate District and Southampton — each with two neighbourhoods selected for either unusually high or low levels of economic connectedness.
Across the research we:
- Conducted 32 in-depth ethnographic interviews
- Walked with residents through their neighbourhoods
- Observed local spaces and activities
- Explored community venues, meeting places, faith settings and local institutions
- Gathered follow-up journals of everyday social interactions
The full ethnographic report shares rich stories from each area, alongside a detailed appendix outlining place-specific spotlights. These local portraits — from the cooperative history of Stirchley, the interfaith activities of Derby Road to the market town life of Masham — illustrate how geography, infrastructure and community norms shape opportunities for social connection.
Why this matters
Increasing cross-economic mixing isn’t simply a social good — it’s a powerful driver of opportunity, mobility and wellbeing. When people have more diverse networks, they gain access to information, support and possibilities that can change life outcomes. And when communities are more connected, they are more resilient, collaborative and cohesive.
This report offers grounded, lived insights into where and how this mixing happens, and what we can do – as practitioners, policy-makers and communities — to increase people’s cross-economic connectedness.
Read the report
You can explore the full ethnographic study and the area-by-area Appendix below:
Revealing Social Capital: Ethnographic Report
Appendix 2: Area Spotlights
Want to know more?
To discuss this report or its findings with us, please contact marnie@neighbourlylab.com