As we head into 2024, it is the likely UK General Election that is on everyone’s minds. To facilitate and inform evidence-based policy discussions before ballots are cast, the Campaign for Social Science has launched its spring events programme for its ongoing project, Election 24: ideas for change based on social science evidence.
Our series of free online and in-person events throughout the first quarter of 2024 will see social scientists discuss research and evidence in policy areas including public attitudes to welfare, AI, and how we can drive social action to achieve net zero.
Our forthcoming Election 24 events include:
- The rise and fall of anti-welfare attitudes, and what it means for welfare reform in 2024 and beyond, Wednesday 24 January, 10am-11am GMT, online. In this webinar, Professor Sir John Curtice, University of Strathclyde and the National Centre for Social Research, and Professor Ben Baumberg Geiger, King’s College London, will explore public attitudes to taxation and welfare, drawing on the British Social Attitudes Survey. The discussion will examine whether voters want to see a rise or a fall in taxation, what it would mean for public spending and welfare, and how those attitudes map onto the parties’ positions. This event is in partnership with the National Centre for Social Research. Register now.
- Priorities for action on AI: what does the social science evidence say?, Wednesday 7 February, 1pm-2pm GMT, online. In this webinar, in partnership with Sense about Science, Professor Kaska Porayska-Pomsta, University College London, and Professor Fraser Sampson, Sheffield Hallam University, will hold a discussion on AI regulation and security chaired by Tracey Brown OBE, Sense about Science. Following the UK Government’s AI Safety Summit and the accompanying Bletchley declaration, this online event will explore what the most pressing considerations for the incoming government are, how persuaded (and persuadable) the public are about the merits of AI, and how technology can be adopted in socially equitable ways. Register now.
- Behaviour change and the climate emergency: policy choices to drive social action, Thursday 7 March, 1pm-2pm GMT, online. In this webinar in partnership with the ACCESS network, Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, University of Bath, will outline how behavioural science can inform efforts to engage the public with climate change, and how policy choices can drive social action to achieve net zero. Chaired by Professor Birgitta Gatersleben of the University of Surrey, Lorraine’s talk will be followed by an audience Q&A. Register now.
We will also be holding two in-person events in partnership with Newcastle University and Swansea University which will draw on social science evidence to explore place-based inequalities in the UK and key policy issues for Wales, as part of this programme. Further details will be announced in due course.
In addition, the Election 24 hub will continue to publish evidence-based commentary from Academy Fellows and other distinguished social scientists who will share research findings and data concerning topical issues and offer constructive policy suggestions to policymakers.
Election 24: ideas for change based on social science evidence draws on a range of social science research and evidence to suggest policy directions ahead of a UK General Election in 2024. Drawing on the expertise of Academy Fellows and other distinguished social scientists, Election 24 features events, blogs and comment pieces covering many key policy areas including the cost-of-living crisis; climate change and living standards; health and social care; immigration; and higher education, amongst others.