A new
Foresight project investigating how identity may be affected by
changes over the next ten years is being announced today by the
Government Chief Scientific Adviser.
The Future of Identity will investigate how
changes in technology, geo-politics, demographics and economics
over the next ten years might affect notions of identity and
subsequently impact on behaviour. The project findings will have
implications for a diverse range of policy areas including social
inclusion, citizenship, political engagement, health and
wellbeing, and crime and security. It is led by Sir John
Beddington and sponsored by the Home Office.
Professor Sir John Beddington said:
“The fast pace of change we are seeing in the world today –
particularly in the technological arena - has real implications
for how people view themselves and engage with others in their
communities. By using the latest science and other evidence we can
better understand how these major trends impact upon our sense of
identity, and in turn our behaviour, in order to help
policy-makers develop more effective responses to an uncertain future.”
The project’s Lead Expert Group will be chaired by Professor
Chris Hankin, Director of the Institute for Security Science and
Technology and previously Director of a series of Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council workshops looking at identity.
The project will be informed by the best current
cross-disciplinary research across the social sciences, economics
and computer sciences.
This project is the second of Foresight’s new Policy
Futures projects. Typically undertaken in less than a year,
they will inform UK policy making by providing futures and
evidence analysis to fill a specific gap in existing
understanding. Its findings will help UK and international
policy-makers navigate a challenging and uncertain future. It will
report in December 2012.
Notes to editors:
1. Foresight is the government’s futures think tank, based in the
Government Office for Science (GO Science). GO Science supports
the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser in ensuring that the
government has access to, and uses, the best science and
engineering advice. It is located within the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills.
2. The UK government’s Foresight Programme helps government think
systematically about the future and deliver major policy agendas
by helping to ensure today’s decisions are resilient to future uncertainties.
3. Further details about the project can be found on the
Foresight website (
http://www.bis.gov.uk/foresight).
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Sally Catmull
Phone: 020 7215 6577
sally.catmull@bis.gsi.gov.uk