The State of Us published this July by British Future and the Belong Network, is designed to coincide a year after the violent unrest in England in the wake of the tragic murders of three young girls attending a dance class in Southport. 

It was commissioned by the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion (ICCC), chaired by Sir Sajid Javid and Jon Cruddas. It details the growing polarisation and division in society fuelled by several factors including concerns about ‘small boats’ migration, growing social and economic inequality and the collapse of trust in politics.

The report also identified some strong foundations on which to build, including public confidence in cohesion at neighbourhood level and numerous examples of impactful work across the UK to build shared identities and strengthen relationships between people from different backgrounds. 

So where does faith and belief land in these spaces according to the  State of Us Report?

The Contribution of Faith to Social Cohesion 

It is fair to say that the issue of faith gets a good airing. It is perhaps a sign of the times that in a 100 page report into community cohesion, faith is mentioned no less than 72 times and in wide variety of key role and contexts. I have noticed at least four

1. Community connection facilitators. Faith groups are consistently identified as providing spaces where people naturally meet and interact across different backgrounds.  60% of those who consider religion or faith important to their lives report meeting people in community spaces, compared to only 34% of those who don't consider faith important - a striking 26 percentage-point difference
2. Crisis response leaders. During the 2024 riots, faith leaders were among the first stakeholders that councils convened in emergency meetings, positioned alongside youth workers and community organizations. The report consistently mentions "faith leaders" before other community stakeholders, suggesting their perceived importance in crisis situations. This suggests a strong recognition of their authority and reach during community tensions.
3. Integration and bridging work. The report describes faith organizations  as conducting "impactful work" through inter-faith initiatives like Near Neighbours and local inter-faith networks, specifically aimed at building relationships between people from different backgrounds. 
4. Community Infrastructure: Faith groups are repeatedly referenced as "communities of identity" that are "often locally based," positioning them as geographically rooted institutions with potential for place-based community building.

Highlighting the Need for a New Model of Interfaith work in the UK

Many of the references to faith come in the context of interfaith and its ability to model effective cohesion work at the local level. However, there are serious limitations to more effective interfaith relations -  most notably in the  pressures caused by the Israel-Gaza conflict which "has strained almost all local inter-faith networks" with some forums breaking down entirely. Similar tensions are reported between Hindu and Muslim communities, and between different faith groups over recent political events in India and Pakistan.

Many inter-faith programmes also struggle to engage younger people or those with more polarized views. The work often remains at community leader level rather than reaching broader community residents. Faith organizations, the report notes, share the broader challenge of "preaching beyond the converted," struggling to engage those with strongly held negative views on immigration and asylum issues.

Overall, the report implies a too narrow, and unimaginative view of the interfaith work being operationalised on the ground. Most references focus inter-faith dialogue rather than exploring faith groups' broader community development potential or their role in addressing economic and social challenges.

The vital importance of re-imagining the potential of faith for social cohesion more in line with current evidence

Despite the many references to faith throughout the State of Us report, there is minimal actual discussion of how to specifically leverage their unique assets or address their particular needs for cohesion capacity building.  Despite being identified as key community anchors, faith groups appear somewhat peripheral to the main policy recommendations, which focus more heavily on local authority strategies and civil society organizations.

The document reveals a paradox: faith groups are recognized as important community assets with significant reach and influence, yet they remain under-integrated into strategic thinking about social cohesion. Their consistent mention alongside civil society organizations suggests they're viewed as partners rather than lead actors, despite evidence of their substantial community connections and crisis response capabilities.

This positioning suggests untapped potential for more systematic engagement with faith communities in building social cohesion, particularly given their demonstrated ability to facilitate cross-community contact and their embedded presence in local areas. 

As the ICCC moves into Phase 2 of its work, it is vital that this paradox is more fully and authentically addressed if this report, coming as it does in the wake of a raft of so many other reports, is actually to make a difference.