January 2026

MPS is pleased to announce the launch of its Better Mixing project, funded by the Nuffield Foundation’s Racial Diversity UK programme.

Scotland’s population is changing fast and in ways which bring new experiences of racial diversity nationally and locally. Changing patterns of immigration are bringing people to many different parts of Scotland for work or study, to join family or to seek protection. These more recent arrivals are joining existing populations of longer-settled migrants and Scots made up in a whole variety of ways in different areas of the country. Understanding how this increasingly rich diversity is perceived and experienced by everyone involved is a crucial first step towards building a thriving multiethnic society at ease with itself. Understanding how and where people meet and interact with one another, as well as what makes people feel connected to a place, can help us to identify which kinds of local settings, events, activities or services are needed to support a positive experience for all.  

As we embark on this project, there is a widespread sense of uncertainty and polarisation across the UK. Society and politics are changing quickly and people are unsure about the future. Opinions are easier to come by than facts. This project will provide much-needed new qualitative and quantitative evidence of how people experience Scotland’s growing diversity in this moment. Drawing on this evidence the project will explore practical initiatives and interventions to help create a positive society where everyone feels they belong.

The Better Mixing project will begin by researching how racial diversity is perceived and experienced by more recent and longer-established migrant communities and racially diverse (including white) Scots. A large-scale Scotland-wide attitudes survey, as well as focus groups and interviews with people in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Fife, will help us learn more about how people understand and experience diversity. We will work with a group of peer researchers in each location, drawing on their insights and lived experience to enrich our study.

We want to know:

• What do attitudes to immigration in Scotland tell us about building a positive, racially diverse society? How do people’s attitudes change according to their location and background?
• How do experiences of diversity vary across location, and between different migrant and Scottish-born groups?
• How are experiences shaped by social infrastructure, social relationships, and everyday encounters?
• What role does social media play in helping or hindering people to access real world spaces, services and social interactions?

This evidence will form the basis of the next stage of the project, which will be action-focused and interested in how to develop local social infrastructures – formal and informal places, spaces, services and networks – that are better suited to Scotland’s dynamic diversity.

Using the MPS policy laboratory approach, we will bring together local authorities, third sector and community-based organisations, employers, social enterprises, and local residents to design interventions suited to the specifics needs and circumstances of their local area. These interventions will aim to make community spaces, local events, activities and services more accessible to diverse groups in ways which support positive interactions and encourage a shared sense of well-being. Through MPS’ well-established networks with policymakers and practitioners, we will link these local interventions into wider conversations to promote lasting change across Scotland and the UK. We are excited to see how these initiatives foster opportunities for people to make new connections, build closer relationships and help to rekindle a more hopeful optimism for how we can all live together.  

Photo (c) Clément Proust