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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260618T110000
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SUMMARY:FRACTURED: Britain's Right Wing Populism. What It Really Is\, and Why It's Growing
DESCRIPTION:This webinar has been generously sponsored by The Insight Zoo\, founded by Nicolas Kayser\, a German qualitative research agency. It was drawn to sponsor this session as it appears to reflect political movements in Germany as well as the UK. Nicolas is also an ICG member.  \n \n  \n  \nJoin a fascinating panel of researchers as they draw on years of primary research to challenge some of the most common assumptions made by people working in research\, policy\, communications and public life. This talk offers a framework for thinking about what an effective response might actually look like as well as clues to why brands must lean back into purpose. \nOur Speakers\nPauline McGowan is a director and Head of Strategy at The Nursery. She has worked in brand\, communications and innovation research for over 20 years both in the UK and internationally. She runs the money and social team at The Nursery and speaks and writes regularly in both industry and wider conferences and press. \nPauline leads The Nursery’s Generations Research\, a broad biennial survey\, now covering the UK and US\, which aims to shine a light on true differences across generations and what that means for society and business. \nShe’ll be presenting some fascinating and surprising data on young people’s attitudes and emerging trends from The Nursery Research & Planning ‘This is Us Generations’ research. \nSteven Lacey (ICG member) is the founder and Managing Director of The Outsiders\, a cultural insight agency he established in 2016\, specialising in behavioural change research\, hard-to-reach audiences\, and understanding cultural undercurrents in the UK and globally. A foresight specialist\, commercial anthropologist and strategist\, Steven has extensive experience advising governments\, opposition parties\, global brands and international advertising agencies. He has worked across more than 60 markets and with clients including the Home Office\, Mars\, Bodyform\, and the award-winning ‘This Girl Can’ campaign. An MRS Research Hero (2021) and co-founder of MRS Unlimited\, Steven also established the Cultural Insights Forum in 2017 and founded No Man’s Land\, a research agency focused on masculinity and men. \nSteven is one of the UK’s leading research voices on the far right\, populism and disinformation and has co-authored the landmark report ‘Disinformation\, UK Democracy and Attitudes Toward Ukraine and Russia in the UK’ — launched in the House of Commons in January 2026. \nSteven  will be painting an incredibly vivid picture in his inimitable way on the state of the UK nation right now. He will help us to understand the Far Right\, and how this is a more disparate group than you might think from research by The Outsiders and Resilience & Reconstruction. \nAnnabelle Phillips (ICG member) is Founder of AP Research\, Co-Chair of the MRS’ Social Equity Group\, sits on the MRS EDI Council\, and Diversity Lead for the ICG (Insight Consultants Group). She specialises in research at the intersection of the private and public sector\, and in particular comms\, branding and customer closeness research with organisations that have a social value.  She is passionate about giving a voice to often ignored audiences\, breaking down barriers and dismantling biases to make sure policies\, services\, campaigns and strategies are relevant to everybody’s needs.   \nAnnabelle will be taking you through research conducted by AP Research exploring the Populist Right communication’s playbook to help understand the lessons that can be learnt across the political landscape and for all marketing and comms teams. This has been a pro bono project and shout out to Field Notes and True Stories Ltd for allowing her to use their services. \nPlease note…\nThe speakers are not aiming to provide a balanced comparison\, but rather\, are sharing their observations on the current cultural landscape. \nThe findings they will be presenting are potentially challenging and certainly thought-provoking observations on a section of today’s UK society and do not aim to demonstrate any intended political allegiances. \n  \nREGISTER HERE \n 
URL:https://theicg.co.uk/event/fractured-britains-right-wing-populism-what-it-really-is-and-why-its-growing/
CATEGORIES:ICG Webinar
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260716T090000
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DTSTAMP:20260613T181231
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LAST-MODIFIED:20260610T074721Z
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SUMMARY:SomeBOTy to Love: New Findings on Social Relationships & AI
DESCRIPTION:We are delighted to welcome Brooke Schlesinger\, YouGov (Australia) to talk through their work which explores AI companionship. \nAI chatbots have moved further into everyday life\, as tools for productivity and information\, and as social and emotional actors embedded within people’s routines. As these technologies become more culturally present\, YouGov wanted to better understand how Australians are negotiating this shift. \nThe first wave of research was conducted in 2025\, and the second in early 2026. The 2026 wave explored more deeply the differing social roles AI chatbots are beginning to play: from companionship and emotional support to entertainment\, intimacy\, and everyday conversation. \nThis research also examines the self-reported impacts of these interactions beyond the screen itself: how engagement with AI may be influencing loneliness\, social connection\, behaviour\, relationships\, and broader perceptions of human interaction in contemporary Australian life. \nWhilst the two waves of research focused on Australia\, Brooke will also share some global findings on the subject at the end the talk. \nWe will then conclude with a q&a and discussion. \n  \nBrooke Schlesinger \nBrooke is an Associate Director at YouGov in Sydney\, specialising in qualitative and quantitative research at the intersection of culture\, politics\, and society. With over a decade of experience\, she has led studies on social issues\, political sentiment\, and cultural trends\, helping clients understand what people think\, and why. \nHer work is driven by a curiosity about how people engage with modern phenomena\, and what those responses reveal about our values\, our deepest desires\, and the futures we may be moving toward. Brooke’s background includes roles at TED Talks and the Ad Council in New York\, where she worked at the nexus of research\, media and communications\, and cultural insight. This experience\, combined with academic training in history\, gives her a distinctive ability to pair rigorous analysis with compelling storytelling. \nSince joining YouGov\, Brooke has designed and delivered custom research for government\, public sector\, and other organisations\, as well as leading YouGov self-initiated research. Her work bridges the granular and the global: whether understanding how Australians respond to a specific issue\, behaviour\, or piece of creative\, or identifying the broader mindsets shaping those responses. The result is insight that is both deeply human and strategically useful. \nBrooke’s research has attracted national and international media coverage. Her 2025 study on Australians and AI companionship was featured across ABC platforms\, reached millions of listeners\, was cited in academic research\, and led to an invitation to present internationally. Her analysis of Australians’ attitudes toward Artemis II also received significant coverage\, including on ABC\, and was featured on the Australian Space Agency’s homepage. \nA dual citizen of the US and Australia\, Brooke brings both local expertise and a global perspective. \nLink to the first wave findings here\n  \nRegister for this webinar here 
URL:https://theicg.co.uk/event/somebotytolove/
CATEGORIES:ICG Webinar
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