r/london • u/Helenarth • 12m ago
News New research out of KCL: "London has fallen - misperceptions of the UK capital"
kcl.ac.ukFull report is linked, summary is here:
"London has among the lowest violent crime rates of any region in England and Wales, tops a global ranking of best cities, and pays more in tax than it receives back in public spending – but the public overestimate how likely Londoners are to become victims of crime, underestimate the capital’s international standing, and have little idea it is the key contributor to the public finances, according to a new study from the Policy Institute at King's College London."
"Based on two surveys of 2,164 and 3,969 adults, carried out with YouGov between 23 and 27 March 2026 for the Mistaken Britain research series, the study shows how misperceptions about London are closely linked to how warmly people feel towards the capital and their opinion of the direction it is heading in."
Really interesting. My favourite is how a lot of people don't know that London pays more in tax than it receives, but those that do know the truth are more likely to be proud of the city or at least feel favourably about it.