Hackney Residents: Nine in Ten Say Communities Thrive Together

Hackney has long been known for its bustling, diverse streets, but official data now quantifies what many locals feel daily: the borough is genuinely cohesive. According to the latest community strategy documents, 9 in 10 residents agree that people from different backgrounds get along well in Hackney. Three in four (75%) report having close bonds with other residents, painting a picture of a place where neighbourly connection is the norm.

The figures carry particular weight because they also reveal the flipside of that picture. One in ten residents describe feeling isolated, with the burden falling disproportionately on certain groups. Lower-income households, social housing tenants, Muslim and Asian communities, residents under 25, and those who do not speak English as a first language are all more likely to report loneliness.

Joined-Up Working on Wellbeing

That data forms the backbone of Hackney’s Health & Wellbeing Strategy for 2022-2026. The strategy makes increasing social connection a formal partnership goal, sitting alongside addressing mental health and improving financial security. It is a rare example of a local authority explicitly treating loneliness as a structural, rather than purely personal, issue.

The approach goes beyond simply acknowledging the problem. Central to the work is the Hackney Compact, a formal agreement between the council and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. The compact sets shared principles, transparency, respect for independence, equality and accountability, to guide how the two sides work together. This matters on the ground because it is the third sector that runs many of the social groups, befriending services, community centres and events where Hackney residents actually meet, talk and form those close bonds.

Where Action Meets the Street

Walking through Hackney’s estates, markets and high streets, the strategy plays out in small, everyday ways. Community centres in areas like Haggerston and Stamford Hill host coffee mornings and language exchange groups. The council’s City and Hackney Neighbourhoods programme works through local partnerships to deliver physical activities, faith-based meetups and youth clubs, all targeted at groups the data shows are most at risk of isolation.

For younger residents under 25, especially those from lower-income or social housing backgrounds, the outreach is not about fancy campaigns. It is about having a trusted space, a local youth worker, and structured activities that turn unfamiliar faces into familiar ones. The evidence in the strategy suggests that without that targeted effort, the disconnect grows.

The annual Director of Public Health report, covering 2024-2025, continues to track social connectedness as a priority, recognising that the strength of Hackney’s community fabric is not a static asset but something that needs constant, conscious investment. The borough's approach treats it less as a nice-to-have and more as a fundamental public health measure.