What's Your Action?
The David Hume Institute launched WhatsYourAction.scot after listening to over 4,500 people across Scotland in the largest inter-generational polling and research exercise in the last 5 years.
The research, which included nationwide polling and group conversations, showed people in Scotland are taking action to be kinder, care for the environment and being more conscious about how and where they spend their money, among a host of other actions.
Across Scotland, we started conversations; with people in different places, from different backgrounds and with different experiences and levels of engagement with policymaking. We asked questions, and listened. We wanted to hear different perspectives about what we can all do and hear people’s priorities for action.
We found so much enthusiasm and energy for tackling Scotland’s persistent problems. The response was loud and clear: we can all do something; every journey starts with a single step - the time for action is now.
People across Scotland shared their actions:
Priorities
Research
In 2020, the David Hume Institute held conversations with people around Scotland. Over 4,500 people contributed to the research from all ages and backgrounds. As well as trusted partner organisations in local communities we worked with the Children’s Parliament, The Scottish Youth Parliament and U3A to ensure we reached a diverse range of participants.
Three priorities came up consistently in the research and people saw the priorities as interlinked;
Be actively kind, considerate and connected in all aspects of your life
Take more and faster action to support the nature and the environment, including through tackling climate change
Make conscious choices with money
People identified three key priorities for individuals, communities and businesses.
For individuals
Be actively kind, considerate and connected in all aspects of your life
Covid has taught us all we need to make time for being kind. Change starts today.
Be connected. Commit to making time to stop and chat – help build community one conversation at a time.
Seek out ways to get to know people with different backgrounds. Create opportunities to expand your bubble.
Take more and faster action to support nature and the environment, including through tackling climate change
Take action to improve the natural environment such as pick up litter on your street, volunteer with a local environmental group or take part in national initiatives such as the Great British Beach Clean.
Take responsibility for finding out your impact on the world (e.g. use a free tool like Pawprint), and take action to reduce that impact.
Make conscious choices with money
Be a conscious consumer. Wherever you can, use your spending power to support businesses that make a positive impact.
Ask how others are using your money. Assess how your money e.g. savings or a pension, are invested to make an ethical impact.
If you have spare savings, could it be doing more than sitting in a bank? Consider investing in the things or places you care about e.g. new local investment angel groups.
For communities
Be actively kind, considerate and connected in all aspects of your life
Be welcoming and open to new people. Groups are critical to helping people connect and build relationships.
For groups that have a formal role in communities, ensure decision makers have been trained to be inclusive e.g. anti-racist education, unconscious bias training in order to fulfil their responsibilities.
Join in initiatives to help raise awareness of the power of being connected e.g. the big lunch, play streets, window wanderland
Invest in youth work to realise its power to support young people and communities.
Build support around young people so it’s there as and when they need it e.g. through youth work.
Take more and faster action to support nature and the environment, including through tackling climate change
Encourage more people to volunteer and work together to make sure that everyone has access to nature on their doorstep. Make sure playgrounds and parks are accessible for disabled children.
Use the momentum of national campaigns (such as Scotland’s Young People’s Forest) to help.
Use the learning from other communities that have taken collective action on the environment (e.g. community energy projects, green spaces) to bring more and faster progress in your local area.
Make conscious choices with money
Seek out ways to work with other organisations to support and improve your local community.
Use initiatives such as ‘shop local’ campaigns and projects to improve the local economy. Collaborative efforts maximise impact and build a thriving local ecosystem.
For business
Be actively kind, considerate and connected in all aspects of your life
Adults said: Embed working conditions that treat staff with fairness, dignity and respect.
Children said: “Make sure everyone is paid enough money to be happy, healthy and safe, and make sure that there aren’t big differences in how much different people get paid”.
Deliver systematic improvements through fair pay, equality of opportunity, transparency and responsible working practices.
Encourage staff to treat customers and each other with kindness, in all aspects of their lives.
Review recruitment and employment processes. Are they a barrier for some people? If so, change them.
Take more and faster action to support nature and the environment, including through tackling climate change
Take action to reduce environmental impact across your whole supply chain. For example: retailers and manufacturers use less packaging, especially single use plastic and make it possible to recycle more.
Publish a plan for reducing the environmental impact created by your business. Be transparent about your progress towards that plan.
Manage any land and buildings to minimise climate impact (e.g. energy efficiency, etc).
Make conscious choices with money
Prioritise living wage and conditions that support fair work.
Evaluate the social and environmental impact of your business and supply chain – including pensions.
Maximise positive impact through your purchasing power. Help customers make more conscious choices by showing this impact.
Be an active part of your place e.g. local partnerships, training opportunities, and supporting those in need.
The research conversations were also supported by a commissioned ScotPulse population survey to investigate what effect the Covid-19 pandemic had on people’s thoughts and willingness to take action in their own lives.
The ScotPulse survey found:
3 in 4 people (77%) were helping neighbours
7 in 10 people (71%) received help from their families and friends
7 in 10 people (68%) people gave to charity
1 in 10 people say they are going to start volunteering in the local community
1 in 12 people say they are going to get to know their neighbours better
1 in 20 intend to give more to charity
