The Society chapter mainly uses data from the Community Life Survey, a nationally representative annual survey of adults in England, on various measures of belonging, satisfaction and participation in our local areas. Of note, the Community Life Survey sample was boosted in 2023/24 to enable meaningful estimates at Local Authority level and to allow subanalysis by age and a number of characteristics including ethnicity, Index of Multiple Deprivation and disability status. The data shows that our communities and neighbourhoods become increasingly important to us as we age, with older people in England playing vital roles, including through volunteering, caring and civic participation. However, there are clear inequalities in these measures by ethnicity, geography and area deprivation.

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