The Community Life Survey is a nationally representative annual survey of adults (16+) in England that aims to track the latest trends and developments across areas that are key to encouraging social action and empowering communities.

This report summarises the findings of the 2021/22 Community Life Survey, which ran from October 2021 to September 2022. It should be noted that fieldwork, particularly during the first quarter of the 2021/22 survey, took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unclear what effect the COVID-19 pandemic, associated lockdown measures and associated media coverage may have had on relevant public behaviours, attitudes and perceptions. This should be taken into consideration when interpreting results.

In 2016/17, the survey discontinued face-to-face data collection and moved fully to an online mode (with paper mode for those who are not digitally engaged).

Differences between groups are only reported on in this publication where they are statistically significant (i.e. where we can be confident that the differences seen in our sampled respondents reflect the population).

Responsible analyst: Olivia Cossey

Statistical enquiries:

Email: evidence@dcms.gov.uk
Twitter: @DCMSInsight

Headline estimates

Estimates from the 2021/22 Community Life Survey show that among adults (16+) in England:

95%of respondents either definitely or tended to agree that if they needed help, there are people who would be there for them; in line with 2020/21 (95%).

71%of respondents (approximately 32 million people in England) met up in person with friends/family at least once a week, a statistically significant increase from 2020/21 where the figure was 66% (30 million people), though still significantly lower than levels in 2019/20 (74%, 34 million people).

7.0 mean score for how happy people felt yesterday, an increase from a mean score of 6.8 in 2020/21. Average scores for life satisfaction and self-worth in 2021/22 were consistent with those in 2020/21.

6% of respondents (approximately 3 million people in England) said they feel lonely often or always. This is in line with reported loneliness in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

76% were satisfied with their local area as a place to live, a decrease from 79% in 2020/21, but in line with levels in 2019/20 (76%).

58% agreed that people in their neighbourhood pull together to improve the neighbourhood. This is lower than in 2020/21 (65%), but in line with levels in 2019/20 (59%).

34% of respondents said they had engaged in some form of civic participation at least once in the last 12 months; a decrease compared to levels in 2020/21 (41%).

18% had taken part in civic consultation, and 7% in civic activism; both similar levels to 2020/21.

27% of respondents agreed that they personally can influence decisions affecting their local area. This is similar to 2020/21.

16% of respondents (approximately 7 million people in England) took part in formal volunteering at least once a month in the past 12 months, in line with rates in 2020/21 (17%). However, these participation rates are the lowest recorded since data collection started on the Community Life Survey.

26% of respondents (approximately 12 million people in England) had taken part in informal volunteering at least once a month. This proportion is lower than in 2020/21, when rates were the highest recorded by the CLS (33%), but in line with levels seen in 2019/20 (28%).

66% of respondents (approximately 30 million people in England) said they had given money to charitable causes in the last 4 weeks, an increase from 2020/21 (63%), but a a decrease from 2019/20 (75%, approximately 33 million people) and lower still than 2013/14 when 82% (approximately 44 million people) had given to charitable causes.

Chapters

Identity and social network
Wellbeing and loneliness
Neighbourhood and community
Civic engagement and social action
Volunteering and charitable giving
Annexes

Notes

There are likely to be interactions between different demographics reported in this publication. For example, ethnic groups have different age and regional profiles. This report considers each demographic characteristic individually, so differences cited here cannot necessarily be attributed directly to the characteristic being described.

The 2014/15 and 2015/16 survey had a smaller overall sample size than other years reported in this report so figures for these years may be less reliable.

Small sample sizes for some demographic characteristics (such as some ethnic minority groups) presented in this report mean we are less able to detect significant differences between groups.

All results summarised in this report are from the ‘push to web’ methodology. Respondents can choose to complete the survey online or use a paper questionnaire. Not all questions are included in the paper version of the questionnaire.

95% confidence intervals have been used throughout the report. For further explanation and for definitions of terms please refer to Annex A.

We anticipate that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and the associated restrictions and guidance introduced in the UK, may have affected the results seen for some of the 2021/22 survey year. However, we cannot be definitive that any changes seen can be attributed to COVID-19. In December 2020, DCMS published ‘Community Life COVID-19 Re-contact Survey 2020- Main Report’. This report covered public beliefs and behaviours relating to social cohesion, charitable giving, volunteering, wellbeing and loneliness for adults in England during March to July 2020, and how these have changed compared with a period before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Community Life Survey technical report will be released at a later date.

Published 28 February 2023
Last updated 3 May 2023 + show all updates

3 May 2023
Added CLS technical report.
28 February 2023
First published.

Community Life Survey 2021/22

Applies to England

Documents