London has fallen?
Think tank: The Policy Institute
Author(s): Professor Bobby Duffy
September 10, 2026
This report from UK think tank the Policy Institute explores misperceptions of crime, race, religion and life in the UK capital.
London has among the lowest violent crime rates of any region in England and Wales, tops a global ranking of best cities, and pays more in tax than it receives back in public spending – but the public overestimate how likely Londoners are to become victims of crime, underestimate the capital’s international standing, and have little idea it is the key contributor to the public finances, according to a new study from the Policy Institute at King’s College London.
London has fallen? Misperceptions of crime, race, religion and life in the UK capital also reveals the public think the city’s Muslim population is double its true size, while a third of the public believe the city has “no-go” areas where Sharia law dominates and non-Muslims cannot enter.
The study finds misperceptions about the capital divide sharply along party lines. Reform UK supporters are furthest from the facts on crime and on London’s Muslim population, which they guess makes up as much as half the capital. Green and Labour supporters, meanwhile, make an opposite error, overestimating how White British London is.
