More than 40% of people in Wales report discrimination

Nation.Cymru staff

More than 40% of people in Wales say they experienced discrimination in the past year, according to new research.

Carnegie UK’s Life in the UK Index found that 44% reported discrimination, an increase of 11 percentage points since 2023.

The report shows no improvement in Wales’ overall wellbeing over the past year, with a score of 61 out of 100, matching the UK average.

It also found a sharp decline in satisfaction with local job opportunities. Just 17% were satisfied with opportunities in their area, down from 30% in 2023 and below the UK average of 22%.

The findings draw on a survey of 6,731 people aged 16 and over across the UK, including 519 in Wales. It was conducted through the Ipsos UK KnowledgePanel between May 21 and 27.

The index combines measures of social, economic, environmental and democratic wellbeing to assess how people’s lives are changing.

Health remained a concern, with 61% of respondents in Wales reporting good general health, compared with 67% across the UK. Around one in ten reported poor mental health.

Carnegie UK chief executive Sarah Davidson said: “The Life in the UK 2026 Index shows that overall wellbeing in Wales has remained stubbornly unchanged, while too many people continue to experience discrimination, poor health and a lack of confidence in local job opportunities.”

Democratic wellbeing, which includes whether people feel they have a voice in decisions affecting their lives, was Wales’ lowest-scoring category at 39 out of 100.

Only 14% believed they could influence decisions affecting Wales, although that was six percentage points higher than last year. Just 8% felt able to influence decisions affecting the UK, up six percentage points since 2023.

Trust in government also remained low, despite improvements in some measures.

More than half of respondents in Wales, 53%, reported low trust in the UK Government, unchanged from last year. The proportion expressing high trust rose from 3% in 2024 to 8% in 2026.

Low trust in the Welsh Government fell by seven percentage points to 36%, returning to its 2023 level. Just 8% expressed high trust in Members of the Senedd, while 5% had high trust in MPs.

Ms Davidson said: “Some measures of trust in government have improved, and more people feel able to influence decisions that affect them than in previous years.

“That presents an opportunity for all levels of government in Wales to further strengthen trust and place long-term wellbeing at the heart of decision-making.”

Economic wellbeing remained broadly in line with the UK average overall, despite the decline in satisfaction with local job opportunities.

Bethan Webber, chief executive of co-operative development organisation Cwmpas, said the findings highlighted questions about who benefited from economic activity and who owned the assets shaping people’s lives.

“Concerns about local job opportunities and people’s limited influence over decisions underline the need to give Welsh communities greater power over their economic future,” she said.

Co-operatives

She called for greater community and worker ownership of businesses and local assets, arguing that co-operatives and social enterprises offered practical ways to share wealth and decision-making.

“Sharing wealth and ownership more widely cannot be a nice-to-have or an optional addition to economic development policy. It must be at the core of our economic agenda,” she said.

“Without changing how our economy creates and shares prosperity and power, we will fall short of the ambitions of the Well-being of Future Generations Act.”