Lack of community spirit, says report

Britain is the most fragmented it has been in the past 40 years, according to research by the University of Sheffield’s Department of Geography.

The report, commissioned by the BBC, reveals communities have become increasingly degenerated since the 1960s, particularly in relation to where the old and young live.

The report states that communities with a large student population are a key factor in causing this sense of division.

The researchers conducted the study by comparing 45 local radio regions under five themes: inequalities, segregation, polarisation, fragmentation and disengagement.

They found that due to economic, social and political change, our neighbourhoods have become progressively socially distinct when compared to the more mixed neighbourhoods of 1968.

The figures show that 97 per cent of communities in the UK have become more socially fragmented over the past three decades.

This leads to a lack of a sense of belonging and community spirit, as well as leaving individuals to feel lonely and isolated.

The researchers argue this is due to the increase in divorce, immigration and the growing student population.

By creating ‘loneliness’ indices to discover where most people felt they did not belong, academics found the Stoke region to be the least fragmented area.

London reflected the most fragmented and segregated community, whereas Derby was the least segregated.

Dr. Dan Vickers, an author of the report, said that younger generations moving away from home is a key factor as to why this segregation occurs.

He said: "In modern Britain it is increasingly less likely that young adults live with, or close to other generations of their family, but they are increasingly more likely to live among others who are demographically similar to themselves."

Crookes in Sheffield is cited as an area with shallow community roots, as the high student population in these areas cause local residents to look for properties elsewhere, leading to broken communities.

Adam Gunderson, a 19-year-old History and Politics student living on Harcourt Road, agrees that this is the case.

He said: "The house next door to us has been unoccupied for two years as it is not allowed to be rented to students.

"There appear to be a lack of residents in this area who are not students, and it is hard to avoid the ‘student way of life’ which deters them from the area."

Alexandra Rucki