Democracy on default settings
This report from UK think tank Demos examines the hidden infrastructure of UK democracy: MPs’ offices. Democracy on Default Settings, by Hannah O’Rourke from Campaign Lab and Edward Saperia from Newspeak House, examines the hidden infrastructure of UK democracy: MPs’ offices. Drawing on interviews, surveys and fieldwork with parliamentary staff, the report exposes how outdated...
The digital-democractic doom loop: Social media and the breaking of the state-citizen relationship
This report from UK think tank Demos argues that the doom loop is exacerbated by the concentration of wealth, ownership and power in the private sector. In this paper author and journalist Phil Tinline argues that modern democracies are caught in a “digital-democratic doom loop” in which declining trust in the state, economic stagnation, and...
Settling up: A new deal to unlock immigration reform and build trust
This report from UK think tank Demos sets out a practical route to detoxify one of the most polarised policy issues of our time – immigration. This paper presents opportunities to upgrade democracy – to address the ‘democratic doom loop’ of mistrust, disengagement and political ineffectiveness – through setting out a practical route to detoxify...
A declaration on digital rights: Embedding human rights in a new deal for the digital age
This report from UK think tank Demos calls for a declaration on digital rights to protect citizens in the AI age. In this report, we make the case that a demonstrated commitment from the government to preserving human rights in the face of rapid technological change will be critical for protecting citizens in the digital...
Our BBC: A blueprint for a more independent and future-proofed BBC
This report from UK think tank Demos sets out a new model of BBC governance where public participation is hardwired into its design. The BBC represents a fundamental component of the UK and indeed the world’s information infrastructure. At the commencement of the BBC’s Charter Renewal process in 2026, this paper proposes routes to securing...
Movers and stayers
This report from UK think tank Demos looks at localising power to level up towns. In an ongoing period of political change, it is imperative that addressing regional inequalities stays firmly on the political agenda. The challenge of supporting people to thrive within the towns they come from is not going away. There is an...
The costs of creation
This report from UK think tank Demos looks at what is a fair and desirable future for monetised online work and volunteering? There is growing awareness that the web comes at a cost, be that from the selling of our personal data, to proliferating paywalls. The wider social costs are becoming clearer too, from the...
Voting online
This report from UK think tank Demos looks at how would the Online Safety Bill affect harms arising from political discourse? Self-regulation of social media is coming to an end: governments around the world have decided that platforms will need to be held to account for their role contributing to violent attacks, insurrections, and atrocities....
Safer by design
This report from UK think tank Demos looks at how collaboration can help design safer gambling? Safety in gambling is under enormous scrutiny. It is a discussion taking place against a backdrop of change, with gambling becoming increasingly available to a population spending more and more time in digital spaces. To facilitate this discussion, we...
Move on upstream
This report from UK think tank Demos looks at crime, prevention and relationships. In 2019 the Home Office announced a national campaign to hire 20,000 new police officers to keep our streets safe. Move on Upstream has reflected on the state of crime and policing in the UK and argues that such a recruitment drive...