Revealing
social capital
How the people we know shape our lives
Revealing Social Capital is the most detailed study of social connection in UK history.
In partnership with Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), Neighbourly Labs, Stripe Partners, Opportunity Insights and Meta, the research explores how the friendships we form across social and economic divides influence life chances, earnings and wellbeing.
Who you know is important for social mobility
Using anonymised data from six billion Facebook friendships- representing around 58% of the UK population aged 25–64- the study revealed a striking pattern.
Children from low-income households who grow up in areas with high levels of cross-income friendship earn, on average, about £3,000 more per year as adults than those from similar backgrounds with fewer such connections.
In other words, who you know can be as important as what you know.
The full picture: data, stories and action
The Revealing Social Capital research now brings together three complementary reports, offering a complete picture of how social connection drives opportunity- and how policy can help it grow.
Why this matters
Across the UK, we all know instinctively that our relationships matter- but they’re hard to measure.
As a result, the impact of decisions about everything from major renewal projects to the future of local libraries and youth clubs is rarely judged by how they strengthen (or weaken) our social connections.
This work is part of a growing movement to change that.
Our research shows that rebuilding the social fabric- the everyday connections between people- is key to unlocking opportunity and social mobility. When people from different backgrounds meet, mix and build trust, communities grow stronger, economies fairer, and lives richer.
Social capital variables
Social mobility
What comes next?
The RSA and its partners are now putting this evidence into practice- working with local authorities, government, business and civil society to turn insight into action.
Through pilot projects in Thames Freeport, Ealing and Essex, we’re showing how these findings can be used to shape real places and change real lives- developing policies, spaces and programmes that connect people across divides and create opportunity that’s genuinely shared.
Get involved
Join the Action Learning Network and the quiet revolution to put human connection
back at the heart of decision-making.
