British Social Attitudes 2023

Sir John Curtice is Senior Research Fellow at NatCen, Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University, and Chief Commentator on the What UK Thinks: EU and What Scotland Thinks websites.

He has been a regular contributor to the annual British Social Attitudes report since 1986 and an editor since 1994. He has also been a Co-Director of the Scottish Social Attitudes survey since its foundation in 1999, and his analyses of Scottish public opinion in the run up to the independence referendum were frequently featured throughout the campaigns.

In 2018, he received a knighthood in the New Year's Honours list. Sir John is a regular media commentator on both British and Scottish politics. 

Experienced social research consultant, Elizabeth works with voluntary sector organisations on quantitative and mixed-method research projects to help them fully exploit their data to inform policy development, evaluation and campaigning. She was previously a Research Director at the National Centre for Social Research, responsible for the delivery of the British Social Attitudes survey and led a range of secondary analysis projects for the Department for Transport, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Oliver Heath is Professor of Politics and co-director of the Democracy and Elections Centre at Royal Holloway, University of London and co-editor of Electoral Studies. He holds a BA (Hons) in Social Anthropology from the University of Sussex and an MA in Political Behaviour from the University of Essex, where he also received his PhD. He previously held a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Essex and an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the LSE. Oliver's main research interests include elections and voting behaviour, public opinion, and survey design and analysis. He has a particular interest in both UK elections and Indian elections. He has published his work in the British Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, European Journal of Political Research, and Political Studies among others. He has received funding for his research from the ESRC, British Academy, and Nuffield Foundation, and has written commissioned reports for the Home Office on voluntary participation, citizenship and ethnic diversity and for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on Brexit and low income voters.

Sebastian Payne is the Director of Onward. He was previously Whitehall Editor at the Financial Times, where he also held the position of political leader writer and digital opinion editor. He is the author of Broken Heartlands and The Fall of Boris Johnson. Before he joined the Financial Times, he was a reporter and editor at The Spectator and The Daily Telegraph.

In September 2022, Grant Hill-Cawthorne was appointed as Managing Director of Research & Information (R&I) and House of Commons Librarian, bringing his extensive experience from around the world in medicine and scientific research. After qualifying as a doctor from the University of Cambridge, Grant worked in the NHS and undertook specialist training in medical virology. He then moved to Saudi Arabia in 2010 to design and build a lab at a brand-new university, specialising in infectious diseases. For 18 months, Grant commuted between Jeddah and London, where he was the Clinical Fellow to the Deputy Chief Executive at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Once he completed his PhD in Saudi Arabia, Grant moved to Australia in 2013 to be a Lecturer at the University of Sydney. Moving back to the UK, Grant first joined R&I in the House of Commons in 2018, when he was appointed the Head of Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), bringing together his expertise in scientific research and policy. He was later appointed the Director of Research for the Commons Library in 2021, before taking on his current role as Managing Director and Librarian.

Lalitha joined the Foundation in April 2021. Her work focuses on living standards, poverty, inequality and welfare. Before joining the Foundation, she worked at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Lalitha has an MSc in Inequalities and Social Science and a BA in Politics from the University of Leeds.

Jemima is the CEO of the Fawcett Society. She is a social policy expert with 15 years' experience working on issues around social justice and women’s rights. Her career has spanned national charities, local government and a think tank, working to tackle inequalities and improve life chances. Jemima was previously CEO for Agenda, the alliance for women and girls at risk. There she led campaigns on supporting survivors of abuse, gendered responses to women’s mental health and the connections between violence against women and girls and contact with the criminal justice system.

Anoosh Chakelian is Britain Editor of the New Statesman, where she covers policy, politics and social affairs, and interviews high-profile figures. She hosts the award-winning New Statesman Podcast and co-presents the Westminster Reimagined podcast series with Armando Iannucci. She appears regularly on national media as a commentator on current affairs.