The We Society

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science at Oxford and director of the Wellbeing Research Centre, discusses findings from the 2026 World Happiness Report. He covers global rankings, Finland’s strengths like trust and nature, falling youth wellbeing in the UK, the effects of social media, policy levers such as social infrastructure, and AI’s risks and opportunities for jobs and mental health.

Professor Stephani Hatch has dedicated her career to making workplaces - especially the NHS - more inclusive by reducing discriminatory practices. She is the Vice Dean for Culture, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, and Professor of Sociology and Epidemiology at King's College London. Her work has seen her introduce 360 degree Virtual Reality headsets to NHS managers and staff to allow them to  ‘walk in the shoes of’ racially minoritised staff in occupational roles. This followed her research which found that NHS Staff members who are black or from ethnic minority backgrounds were more than twice likely to experience workplace harassment and bullying compared with white British staff.  This impacts mental health, and ultimately will affect the care of those using the NHS. What can be done? Stephani tells us in this conversation.In the We Society, join acclaimed journalist and Academy president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems.Don’t want to miss an episode? Follow the show on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us on wesociety@acss.org.uk and tell us who we should be speaking to.  The We Society podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust. Producer: Emily Uchida FinchAssistant Producer: Emily GilbertA Whistledown Production for the Academy of Social Sciences 

Carey Oppenheim, youth researcher leading the Nuffield Foundation’s Grown Up? project, and Bobby Duffy, public policy professor and author on generations, discuss changing journeys to adulthood. They explore delayed transitions, mental health and services, AI and labour shifts, co-residence with parents, and reconnecting generations to reshape policy and support for young people.

Professor Richard Wiseman, psychology professor and bestselling researcher of luck, humour and magic. He recalls becoming a magician, explains how lucky people create opportunities, describes quick psychological boosts and a worldwide joke study. He also shows how magic teaches life skills and why pragmatic optimism helps resilience.

Join host Will Hutton for Season 10 of the We Society from next week to hear some of the best ideas to shape the way we live.Launching Wednesday 4th March with an array of great guests starting with Richard Wiseman who is going to talk to us about the psychology of luck and magic. But we also wanted to celebrate this milestone - ten seasons!  Through this journey, our host Will Hutton has met some incredible individuals whose work has changed the course of history. From the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton to social scientists like Tom Shakespeare whose critical research focuses on improving the way disabled people are treated in the UK.In the next  series, you will continue to hear interviews from social scientists, business leaders and public figures to hear their solutions to society's most pressing issues.   Please subscribe, rate and share with your friends. This podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust. 

Joining Will Hutton for the final episode of Season 9 is Professor Rana Mitter, an authority on contemporary China and U.S relations. He is the ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. In the conversation, Professor Mitter argues that we should look past the often prevailing sense of doom regarding U.S.-China relations to explore the realities - both nations have distinct aspirations that do not lead automatically to conflict. He argues that the tendency of apocalyptic framing oversimplifies reality.Professor Mitter puts forward his view that rather than a clash of liberalism versus authoritarianism, today’s geopolitics is defined by competing antiliberal views. They talk about China’s booming economy, especially now that the green energy market is open to investment following America’s renewed focus on fossil fuels. In the We Society, join acclaimed journalist and Academy president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems.Don’t want to miss an episode? Follow the show on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us on wesociety@acss.org.uk and tell us who we should be speaking to.  The We Society podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust. Producer: Emily Uchida FinchAssistant Producer: Emily GilbertA Whistledown Production 

Almost a third of five-year-olds in Britain enter primary school without the essential language, communication, and literacy skills they need to thrive. Eleanor Ireland, our guest today, looks at the critical importance of early childhood development and the widening disadvantage gap as inequality deepens in Britain.Eleanor is one of the Programme Heads for Education at the Nuffield Foundation, which tackles the UK’s biggest social challenges by funding research, generating evidence, and guiding decision-makers to implement solutions that improve people’s lives. In her conversation with Will, they look at how support systems for parents and children have changed over the years, and the potential impact of the new UK Government policy of providing 30 hours of free childcare a week for working parents with under 5s.In the We Society, join acclaimed journalist and Academy president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems.Don’t want to miss an episode? Follow the show on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us on wesociety@acss.org.uk and tell us who we should be speaking to. The We Society podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust. Producer: Emily Uchida FinchAssistant Producer: Emily GilbertA Whistledown Production 

Professor Tim Grant is one of the world's most experienced forensic linguistic practitioners who specialises in the analysis of abusive and threatening communications. He is an academic practitioner in the field of forensic linguistics - teaching and leading research as a professor at Aston University. As the former director of the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics at Aston University he spearheaded the Institute’s expansion between 2013 and 2024.  Tim joins Will Hutton and explains how forensic linguistics is used to improve the delivery of justice across various contexts from police interviews with vulnerable witnesses to providing evidence in court cases. He introduces us to the concept of "identity performance" within language use, which allows linguists to profile gender and education levels based on the linguistic style of the texts.They also delve into the impact AI is having on Forensic Linguistics noting its tendency to lack a distinct style and personality. In the We Society, join acclaimed journalist and Academy President Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems.Don’t want to miss an episode? Follow the show on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us on wesociety@acss.org.uk and tell us who we should be speaking to.The We Society podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust. Producer: Emily Uchida FinchAssistant Producer: Emily GilbertA Whistledown Production 

Our guest today, Alex Beer, joins us at a critical time as the UK Government prepares to publish its child poverty strategy this autumn.According to official numbers, there are 4.5 million children living in poverty in the UK and 1.1m children are in families that have used a food bank in the past year. The Nuffield Foundation launched a major new Strategic Review earlier this summer committing £30 million annually over the next five years to fund research and innovation that addresses some of the UK's most urgent social and economic challenges. Read more about it here (https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/news/nuffield-foundation-announces-150-million-funding-commitment-to-tackle-uks-biggest-social-challenges) As Assistant Director of Strategy at the Nuffield Foundation, Alex's role is to develop and deliver programmes of work that deliver the strategy and improve social wellbeing in the UK. In this conversation with Will, Alex shares some evidence-backed policy suggestions for alleviating child poverty, which includes changes to the two-child limit and the benefit cap, but also emphasises the importance of taking a holistic approach. In the We Society, join acclaimed journalist and Academy President Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems.Don’t want to miss an episode? Follow the show on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us on wesociety@acss.org.uk and tell us who we should be speaking to.The We Society podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust. Producer: Emily Uchida FinchAssistant Producer: Emily GilbertA Whistledown Production 

Sander van der Linden, a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Cambridge, dives into the world of misinformation and its societal impact. He discusses the importance of terms like misinformation over 'fake news' and how repeated falsehoods form belief systems. Sander introduces innovative concepts like 'pre-bunking' and shares insights on his engaging Bad News game designed to foster psychological resistance. The dialogue also critiques social media's role and the need for regulatory measures to combat misinformation effectively.