‘52% of the UK population believe Brexit has widened the gap between the old and the young’
This is from a May 2019 interim report from the APPG on Social Integration, as part of their inquiry into intergenerational connection. The report sets out a series of suggestions to bring the generations together under four policy areas: community initiatives, public services, housing and planning, and technology.
The report offers policy recommendations for addressing the divide, including:
- A small charge on transactions carried out using self service checkouts, to generate £30m or more a year for funding intergenerational community projects.
- Encouraging nurseries, schools and care homes to foster connections between generations, and where possible to co-locate services.
- A new national volunteering scheme encouraging older people to volunteer in their communities when they retire.
- A small tax break for those who volunteer a set number of hours within a public service per month, such as a nursery, school or care home.
- Encouraging intergenerational connection through transport bodies by promoting conversation between generations, for example through a ‘Take Your Headphones Off Day’.
