Following on from our publication Building Character on parenting and early years, Demos is building the case for ‘character’ as the key to life chances.

Demos has embarked on a new research project exploring the influence of parenting in character development of children and the link between character, life chances, and well-being.

Demos is undertaking a year-long research project focused on children aged 7-16 who are already displaying signs of being at risk of social exclusion and deprivation in later life.

Wishful Thinking delves into the hopes and dreams of everyday Britain, discovering that in the face of collective pessimism, as individuals we are positive, pragmatic and generous in our wishes and expectations.

This research explores what is meant by quality in the field of children and young people's cultural production. It investigates what 'high quality' or 'quality' means to those working within and with Creative Partnerships, namely within the education and cultural sectors.

This project aims to identify an effective cross-border approach to tackling forced marriage in Britain.

This project explores the tensions, hidden assumptions and challenges to the ideals and institutions that make open societies.

This research will look at the potential benefits of a British international citizen service, investigating how it can be integrated into Big Society initiatives and increase civic engagement.

The project will explore the possibilities for a new politics of work.

A landmark project on everyday power shows how far we have to travel to become a nation of powerful people.

This project will feature a 'People's Inquiry' to explore people's attitudes to the use of their personal information. It will use the outcomes from the deliberative groups to develop practical ideas for matching public expectations and personal information policy.

Conversation has long been the cornerstone of our society. New technologies enable us to speak to people anytime, anywhere. However, there is growing concern – both in the UK and elsewhere - that we are talking less than we used to. This work suggests that this is a misconception and that the issue is actually much more complex.

This work examines the implications of current trends in the English Language for policy agendas. Run in association with Cambridge Assessment, and ESOL Examinations at the University of Cambridge, it will identify not only areas in which policy makers will have to change to meet the challenges posed by the emergence of variants of English - Englishes - but also how government and others can work with providers to take advantage of the many opportunites that 'Englishes' present...

Following the recent public diplomacy review, now seems like a good time to revisit what we mean by cultural diplomacy and the ways in which culture helps to deliver Britain’s foreign, developmental, and sustainability objectives. This project asks what this means for cultural institutions and whether they could play a role in fostering public debate and engagement. It also set out a new and practical framework for policy makers and practitioners in the UK and beyond.

Demos has undertaken futures work with a wide range of organisations – helping groups from trade unions to international security bodies plan ahead.

The way young people use technology outside school is changing and so are the ways they learn. This project, funded by the NCSL, aims to explore how schools should respond to children's informal learning with digital media such as games consoles, the internet and mobile phones.

We are examining emerging approaches to public service delivery from across the globe to understand what a new wave of reform might look like in New Zealand, and to examine how unions can take a proactive role in helping their members adapt and thrive in the future.

This project looks at the role social housing providers can play in helping people back to independent living following a period in hospital.

Demos is currently looking at how social housing providers can act as co-ordinators and hubs for support and earlier intervention for their clients.

This project will focus on school-to-work transition: how our education and training systems are preparing young people for employment.

The London Olympics are on track to regenerate a vast swathe of East London, turning a poisonsed industrial site into the biggest new park since Hyde Park, but how will Londoners really benefit and have the goals been met?

Smart city technologies promise to make cities more efficient, liveable and productive. There are real implementation challenges on introducing new technologies at scale in an established city. What are the costs and benefits for London?

Despite being one of the most prosperous cities in the world, London has among the UK’s highest rates of worklessness: one in three working age Londoners is out-of-work. What will be the impact of welfare reforms on London and how London can get the best from this new system? How can models of localism and devolution boost employment in the capital?

This project focusses on access to higher education in London's schools and boroughs and looks at high skills as a key economic driver. 

The Thames is one of London's greatest assets but also presents one of its more pressing challenges. How can improvements to the quality of the architecture and public spaces, and more use of the banks and the river itself be financed, managed and delivered?

The plans for East London Tech City have generated a good deal of excitement. But the way ahead is far from clear. This project looks at how these plans can be best achieved, by comparing East London to other international tech based regenerations and by talking directly to entreprenuers.