Biography
Bobby Duffy is Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute. He Chairs the Campaign for Social Science and the CLOSER Advisory Board, is a member of the Executive of the Academy of Social Sciences, a trustee of British Future and a Senior Fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto. He was previously Global Director of the Ipsos Social Research Institute, has been seconded to the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, and was a fellow at the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at LSE.
His first book, The Perils of Perception – Why we’re wrong about nearly everything, was published by Atlantic books in 12 countries, drawing on a set of global studies on how people misperceive key social realities. His latest book, Generations - Does when you’re born shape who you are?, came out in 2021 and challenges myths and stereotypes around generational trends, seeking a greater understanding around generational challenges and intergenerational connection.
Research
Centre for Attention Studies
Forging new responses to the foundational digital age crisis: distraction
Offence
With growing interconnectedness, especially online, and with personal identities having more salience, the issue of offence has risen up the agenda.
Project status: Ongoing
Complex Life and Death Decisions group
The Complex Life and Death Decisions group (CLADD) is a King’s based group with expertise in psychiatry, palliative care, bioethics, public policy and law. Members of the group lead research in life and death decision-making (particularly in relation to mental health conditions and palliative care), contribute to policy development, professional guidelines and law reform, and have appeared in leading court cases.
The Impact Centre for Palliative and End-of-Life Care
The Impact Centre aims to close the gap between evidence and practice, ensuring that everyone approaching the end of life receives the best care possible.
KingsCAT: Capture and Analysis Tool for Social Media Research at King’s College London
KingsCAT is an instance of the open source 4CAT: Capture and Analysis Toolkit set up to support interdisciplinary and collaborative social media research.
Project status: Ongoing
News
What Trump's second presidential term could mean for the world
With Donald Trump now sworn in as the 47th US President, academics from King’s have been sharing insights into the implications of his presidency for the USA...
Europe, not America, now favoured as ally for Britain – in reversal from almost 60 years ago, study finds
Britons would now prefer the country be more like Sweden and Switzerland, rather than try to be a leading world power
Celebrating the third cohort of King's Parliamentary Research Interns at the House of Lords
King's celebrates the next cohort of our Parliamentary Research Interns at an event in Parliament.
Good manners, obedience and unselfishness: data reveals how UK parenting priorities compare with other nations
The public now place less importance on raising obedient children, but they still value good manners hugely
UK public among least likely to place importance on work
The UK ranks low for the belief that work should always come first, even if it means less leisure time
Britons broadly aligned on tackling poverty and inequality
Major study finds Britons broadly aligned on tackling poverty and inequalities
'Great replacement theory' and conspiracies about 15-minute cities, cost of living and digital currencies said to be definitely or probably true by one in three in UK
One in four also say they would take part in protests against some of these issues
UK public among most trusting in world, study finds
The UK public is one of the most trusting populations globally
Public think super rich are now more powerful than governments
The public also see family background as the biggest determinant of someone’s wealth
God, heaven and hell, and life after death: data reveals UK's low religious belief compared with other nations
The share of the British public who identify as religious has halved since the 1980s
Events
Fourth International Behavioural Public Policy Conference
The School for Government and the Policy Institute at King's are hosting the fourth IBPPC in London, bringing together academics, policymakers, and...
Assisted dying: principles, practice and politics
Join the Policy Institute and the Complex Life and Death Decisions group for a discussion about assisted dying.
Please note: this event has passed.
A public polarised? Values, attitudes and beliefs in post-Brexit Britain
Join us for the launch event of the UK World Values Survey.
Please note: this event has passed.
Are the humanities in crisis?
Hear about the state of the humanities today and how policymakers can make the most of the sector.
Please note: this event has passed.
What's next for "levelling up"?
Join us to discuss the current state of the levelling up agenda.
Please note: this event has passed.
Better Evidence, Better Government: In Conversation with David Halpern and Ravi Gurumurthy
Join the Policy Institute and the Evidence Quarter for the first event in our new Better Evidence, Better Government series, which brings together well-known...
Please note: this event has passed.
Out of office? How London is living with hybrid working
What are the implications of the capital's shift to hybrid working?
Please note: this event has passed.
The generation myth
Join Professor Bobby Duffy for the 2022 David Hobman Lecture, discussing the myths and stereotypes around generational trends.
Please note: this event has passed.
Can anyone win the culture war?
Recent years have seen a huge surge in media discussion of “culture wars” in the UK – but despite this, the public have only a limited understanding of the...
Please note: this event has passed.
The “Fight for Fairness” in Britain
The pandemic has deeply affected us all – but not equally.
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
British people see geographical inequalities as most pressing – not gender or race
The end of lockdowns is in sight but the road out of these restrictions is only the start of a much longer journey to a full recovery from the pandemic.
One year on: Reflections from working at the forefront of the pandemic
As 2020 started, the world faced the threat of a totally new virus, COVID-19. As we all navigated completely new and very difficult challenges in our working...
Three ways people are reacting to coronavirus: 'accepting', 'suffering' and 'resisting'
How the UK is coping with life under lockdown
Informing the public debate on COVID-19
Academics from across the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy are helping us all better understand the huge societal shifts created by the COVID-19...
Spotlight
How King's researchers challenge the status quo in healthcare and policy
Research is core to King’s: what we do, what we care about and how we educate. It’s how we use our creativity to further our knowledge and understanding,...
Research
Centre for Attention Studies
Forging new responses to the foundational digital age crisis: distraction
Offence
With growing interconnectedness, especially online, and with personal identities having more salience, the issue of offence has risen up the agenda.
Project status: Ongoing
Complex Life and Death Decisions group
The Complex Life and Death Decisions group (CLADD) is a King’s based group with expertise in psychiatry, palliative care, bioethics, public policy and law. Members of the group lead research in life and death decision-making (particularly in relation to mental health conditions and palliative care), contribute to policy development, professional guidelines and law reform, and have appeared in leading court cases.
The Impact Centre for Palliative and End-of-Life Care
The Impact Centre aims to close the gap between evidence and practice, ensuring that everyone approaching the end of life receives the best care possible.
KingsCAT: Capture and Analysis Tool for Social Media Research at King’s College London
KingsCAT is an instance of the open source 4CAT: Capture and Analysis Toolkit set up to support interdisciplinary and collaborative social media research.
Project status: Ongoing
News
What Trump's second presidential term could mean for the world
With Donald Trump now sworn in as the 47th US President, academics from King’s have been sharing insights into the implications of his presidency for the USA...
Europe, not America, now favoured as ally for Britain – in reversal from almost 60 years ago, study finds
Britons would now prefer the country be more like Sweden and Switzerland, rather than try to be a leading world power
Celebrating the third cohort of King's Parliamentary Research Interns at the House of Lords
King's celebrates the next cohort of our Parliamentary Research Interns at an event in Parliament.
Good manners, obedience and unselfishness: data reveals how UK parenting priorities compare with other nations
The public now place less importance on raising obedient children, but they still value good manners hugely
UK public among least likely to place importance on work
The UK ranks low for the belief that work should always come first, even if it means less leisure time
Britons broadly aligned on tackling poverty and inequality
Major study finds Britons broadly aligned on tackling poverty and inequalities
'Great replacement theory' and conspiracies about 15-minute cities, cost of living and digital currencies said to be definitely or probably true by one in three in UK
One in four also say they would take part in protests against some of these issues
UK public among most trusting in world, study finds
The UK public is one of the most trusting populations globally
Public think super rich are now more powerful than governments
The public also see family background as the biggest determinant of someone’s wealth
God, heaven and hell, and life after death: data reveals UK's low religious belief compared with other nations
The share of the British public who identify as religious has halved since the 1980s
Events
Fourth International Behavioural Public Policy Conference
The School for Government and the Policy Institute at King's are hosting the fourth IBPPC in London, bringing together academics, policymakers, and...
Assisted dying: principles, practice and politics
Join the Policy Institute and the Complex Life and Death Decisions group for a discussion about assisted dying.
Please note: this event has passed.
A public polarised? Values, attitudes and beliefs in post-Brexit Britain
Join us for the launch event of the UK World Values Survey.
Please note: this event has passed.
Are the humanities in crisis?
Hear about the state of the humanities today and how policymakers can make the most of the sector.
Please note: this event has passed.
What's next for "levelling up"?
Join us to discuss the current state of the levelling up agenda.
Please note: this event has passed.
Better Evidence, Better Government: In Conversation with David Halpern and Ravi Gurumurthy
Join the Policy Institute and the Evidence Quarter for the first event in our new Better Evidence, Better Government series, which brings together well-known...
Please note: this event has passed.
Out of office? How London is living with hybrid working
What are the implications of the capital's shift to hybrid working?
Please note: this event has passed.
The generation myth
Join Professor Bobby Duffy for the 2022 David Hobman Lecture, discussing the myths and stereotypes around generational trends.
Please note: this event has passed.
Can anyone win the culture war?
Recent years have seen a huge surge in media discussion of “culture wars” in the UK – but despite this, the public have only a limited understanding of the...
Please note: this event has passed.
The “Fight for Fairness” in Britain
The pandemic has deeply affected us all – but not equally.
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
British people see geographical inequalities as most pressing – not gender or race
The end of lockdowns is in sight but the road out of these restrictions is only the start of a much longer journey to a full recovery from the pandemic.
One year on: Reflections from working at the forefront of the pandemic
As 2020 started, the world faced the threat of a totally new virus, COVID-19. As we all navigated completely new and very difficult challenges in our working...
Three ways people are reacting to coronavirus: 'accepting', 'suffering' and 'resisting'
How the UK is coping with life under lockdown
Informing the public debate on COVID-19
Academics from across the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy are helping us all better understand the huge societal shifts created by the COVID-19...
Spotlight
How King's researchers challenge the status quo in healthcare and policy
Research is core to King’s: what we do, what we care about and how we educate. It’s how we use our creativity to further our knowledge and understanding,...