A new UK-wide initiative asking ‘How do we want to live together?’ has launched this month, with Christ Church’s Luke Bretherton serving as a commissioner on the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion behind the project.

The Revd Professor Luke Bretherton, Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford, is one of the commissioners involved in the National Conversation – the first major public engagement initiative organised by the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion.

The survey, designed and hosted by Nuffield College, Oxford, invites people from across the UK to share their experiences, concerns and hopes for the future of the country. Organisers hope to hear from people of all ages, backgrounds, regions and political perspectives. The survey will remain open until 31 August.

The more voices we hear – across geography, age, background and outlook – the more valuable the findings will be.

The Revd Professor Luke Bretherton

Established by the UK government last year, the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion was created in response to growing concern about political polarisation, social fragmentation and the challenges of building trust across contemporary Britain.

The Commission brings together leaders from public life, academia, civil society and faith communities to explore how people from different backgrounds, beliefs and experiences can live well together in a democratic society. Its work aims to develop practical recommendations for strengthening community life and renewing civic trust.

The Revd Professor Luke Bretherton

Professor Bretherton was appointed to the Commission last year. At the time, he described it as an important opportunity to address some of the central questions facing modern democratic societies: how people with different values, identities and convictions can continue to live together constructively amid rapid social and political change.

His work as a theologian and public intellectual has long focused on questions of democracy, pluralism, civic participation and the role of institutions and communities in sustaining the common good. Through the Commission, he is contributing to national discussions about social trust, belonging and democratic renewal.

Professor Bretherton said: ‘The more voices we hear – across geography, age, background and outlook – the more valuable the findings will be. I would encourage members of the Christ Church community and beyond to take a few minutes to contribute.’

The National Conversation survey is open until 31 August and is available at thenationalconversation.org.uk. Organisers hope the initiative will help build a clearer picture of how people across the UK think about community, belonging and the future of democratic life.