On Tuesday 17^th June, members of the team were involved in a workshop at the Institute for Historical Research exploring how Mass Observation could be used to develop a better understanding of political engagement in collaboration with History & Policy.

The workshop involved people from the Cabinet Office and various campaign groups, including Unlock Democracy, Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust UK Democracy Fund, and Involve, as well as academics from across the UK.

The workshop considered how MO can be used to explore the moods circulating behind low turnout figures at the 2024 General Election and high levels of political distrust recorded by recent opinion polls. The discussion highlighted both the challenges of working with this material and the unique insights it can offer—insights that may not be accessible through other sources. It also raised important questions about the types of research it could support and the methods it might adopt to be more useful to policymakers, campaigners, and others concerned with the future of British politics.

A recurring theme that emerged from the discussion was the potential value of analysing Mass Observation panellists’ writing longitudinally, and exploring how individual political engagement changed across the lifecourse, which clearly connects to the aim of our project.

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