Behavioural Science | Data Analytics | Strategy

Two Britains

Public servants and the wider public see a different country - and this undermines trust in government

Our most recent research finds consistent differences between the outlook of UK public sector workers and that of the wider public – across a range of issues – and shows that reminders of controversial public-sector decisions linked to these differences reduces trust in government.

  • Consistent attitudinal divergence. Public sector workers, on average, view Britain and Western countries less favourably than the wider public, and view both adversary countries and hostile extremist groups more favourably. These differences persist even after controlling for differences in age, gender, ethnicity, income and education.

  • Variation within the public sector. Civil servants are closest to public opinion; teachers diverge more; and NHS workers diverge the most.

  • Controversies – such as reports of ‘two-tier justice’ – sharply erode trust in government. Simply being reminded of these incidents pushed about one in six otherwise trusting citizens below the official threshold for moderate trust in government.

Click here to download the full report

We were pioneers in real-world, applied behavioural science, establishing the world renowned ‘Nudge Unit’ in 10 Downing Street with Professor David Halpern.

Our experience in using behavioural science in high-stakes situations - where success is the only option - is unrivalled.

We have shown the value of scientifically robust, pragmatically applied behavioural solutions, in government and business, in 40 countries across the world.

We specialise in change:

Changing behaviours.

Changing mindsets.

Changing culture.

We’ve built high-performing behavioural and data science teams for organisations who understand the opportunities of the future: in London, Singapore, Delhi, Jakarta, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh.

We are unique in our field: in an age of instant reactions and identity politics, we recognise the challenge is not simply to nudge. It is also to create enduring shifts in mindsets and culture.