Podcast

Our digital lives and our wellbeing

What does internet and smartphone use do to wellbeing, especially for the young?

This episode looks at our increasingly digital lives and how they affect our wellbeing. Our guests are Dr. Daniel Wheatley, Reader in the Department of Management at the University of Birmingham, and Abigail Coxon, principal Economist at the Youth Futures Foundation.

Read a transcript

What else is Understanding Society doing?

a man hand-in-hand with a child walking into a 'job centre plus'

Which policies can both boost growth and help people on low incomes?

Traditionally, reducing labour market insecurities has been pursued as a separate goal. But five policy areas could boost both productivity and equality

18 May 2026

Girl in school uniform with glass of squash

Autumn Budget 2025 supports ‘most vulnerable’

Living standards think tank used our data to assess government economic policy

11 May 2026

Registration now open – Biosocial Conference 2026: combining biological and social data

Understanding Society is pleased to announce that registration is now open for its Biosocial Conference 2026.

11 May 2026

Image of the front cover of Insights - Barriers to Opportunity

Barriers to opportunity for children and young people

Understanding Society’s Insights report for this year sets out what research using our data tells us about children’s development and young people’s life chances.

27 Apr 2026

Email newsletter

ESRC Institute for Social and Economic Research University of Essex

The Economic and Social Research Council is the primary funder of the study
The Study is led by a team at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex.

Visit our Bluesky Page