Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é launched its Living Well Inquiry in January 2024 into what is needed to live well in 21st century Britain. It aimed to bring together research from a wide variety of disciplines across the University under one overarching banner.
In the aftermath of the 2024 General Election, the question of what Living Well in 21st Century Britain means will be fundamental to the programme of the Government even if there is no explicit use of the terminology. This Inquiry will demonstrate the centrality of Living Well to key decisions taken by policymakers and will seek to answer the question of what it is to live well in contemporary society by drawing on expertise from across the University.
The opening decades of the 21st century have been characterised by a series of disruptions to ‘normal politics’. These rare and often extreme events knock normal politics off course. The 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath, Brexit, Covid-19 and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza provide relevant examples. These events often magnify or exacerbate longer term processes and problems. Low growth, stagnant wages, the cost of living, precarious work, unstable housing, mass migration, the climate crisis, all contribute towards a pervading sense of increasing insecurity for many sections of the population. All of which means that trying to ‘live well’ is a challenge for many people in the 21st century.
To request a copy of our White Paper document, please email policy@lboro.ac.uk.
Five key pillars
Living Well and Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é
The Living Well Inquiry maps onto the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é 2030 strategy of Creating Better Futures Together, particularly the strategic themes of creating Vibrant and Inclusive Communities, managing Climate Change and just transitions to Net Zero and enhancing the benefits of Sport, Health and Wellbeing.
Initial findings
The White Paper showcases Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é research that spans across health and wellbeing, climate change, dignity, social policy, innovation, technology and design, business, creative arts and culture and equality, diversity and inclusion. Its initial findings include a set of questions which both pave the way for the Inquiry's period of external engagement.