news 2021

Lockdown affected people's sex lives in a variety of different ways with young people and those not living with a partner reporting the greatest changes, according to researchers from UCL, the University of Glasgow and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). The peer-reviewed paper, which is the largest national study of sexual behaviours since the beginning of the pandemic, is published today in BMJ Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Massive study of almost two million US residents reveals rising housing costs may drive increases in "openness" of character among both long-term and new inhabitants of a city. Substantial personality shifts within cities can and do occur within a couple of years Jason Rentfrow Rising house prices may change the personality make-up of US cities within a few years, with residents becoming increasingly open-minded - not just as wealthier people move in, but also among longer-term locals.

A global hacker "red team" and rewards for hunting algorithmic biases are just some of the recommendations from experts who argue that AI faces a "tech-lash" unless firm measures are taken to increase public trust. We need policy and public support to create an ecosystem of trust for AI Shahar Avin The Artificial Intelligence industry should create a global community of hackers and "threat modellers" dedicated to stress-testing the harm potential of new AI products in order to earn the trust of governments and the public before it's too late.

Companies must walk the talk: human rights policies must be backed by deeper engagement Multinational corporations must go beyond simply adopting human rights policies if they are to stop human rights abuses in their supply chains and avoid charges of ethical window-dressing, new research from the University of Bath School of Management shows.

The gender of a young father's firstborn child affects the likelihood of both him and his friends committing crime, a UCL-led study has found. For the first time, researchers established that young fathers who have a firstborn son rather than a daughter are convicted of fewer crimes in subsequent years, and crucially that this reduction also leads to a drop in criminal convictions among peers living in the same neighbourhood.

Women are more likely than men to struggle with both regular daily tasks and mobility activities as they age, according to new analysis of longitudinal cohort studies led by researchers at UCL and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in France. However, the researchers say disparities in ability to perform daily tasks have been steadily decreasing as the socioeconomic gap between the sexes has decreased.

New GW4 research led by Bath's Dr Max Western is published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Last updated on Friday 12 November 2021 Technology-based health and exercise programmes and apps, designed to offer a convenient and accessible way to boost physical activity, are dramatically less beneficial for users with low socio-economic status, a study has shown.

Help us measure the impact our staff have through volunteering in London The  Pro-Provost (London) Office  has released a survey, open to all staff at UCL, aimed at measuring the volunteering impact UCL staff have in London. We know that many of you already contribute a significant amount of your time to London and its communities, whether that is through sitting on a variety of boards and committees or volunteering for charities and in the local community.

Significant increases seen in teenagers' mental ill-health during secondary school is mostly likely linked to growing older, rather than academic and peer pressures associated with being in a more senior year group, finds a new study of over 40,000 young people led by UCL. Published in the British Educational Research Journal, the study provides one of the most detailed investigations into the link between mental health and school year, and finds mental ill-health is particularly prevalent among girls during secondary education.

A GW4-funded report that focused on what regional Green Recovery might look like argues that climate justice needs to be at the forefront of our thinking. Last updated on Friday 5 November 2021 A new report from researchers from the GW4 universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, and Exeter suggests that local green recovery debates need to find a way to better connect people's concerns about the climate, inequality, and prosperity in local areas.

There are clear and enduring regional divides across Great Britain, finds an intergenerational assessment of the social mobility of British families between 1851 and 2016, carried out by UCL researchers at the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC). Professor Paul Longley, Dr Justin Van Dijk and Dr Tian Lan (all UCL Geography) created GB Names which allows users to chart exactly where their family group has been based across Britain from 1851 to the present day.

A new study led by the and based on public attitudes expressed in 36,000 Facebook posts, has found that consumer uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) can be boosted by promoting the social justice and health aspects of the technology. The researchers found that effective communication of social and health benefits of EV ownership can be a motivating factor for influencing higher EV uptake.

Researchers involved in a major COVID-19 study - launched in Scotland earlier in the year to understand the long-term health of people who have had COVID-19 - are encouraging the public to participate if they receive a new invitation.

There were nearly twice as many unplanned pregnancies during the first lockdown compared to before, finds a major study led by researchers from UCL and University College London Hospital. The study, published today in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health, is the first to assess changes in women's self-reported access to contraception as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

Politicians and businesses must treat pandemics as if their country is preparing for war - they are too focused on the current pandemic and not paying enough attention to developing strategies to lessen the impact of the next one, researchers reveal.

Scottish veterans face the highest risk of suicide in middle age, many years after leaving service. The study, led by the University of Glasgow in partnership with the Forces in Mind Trust and published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, looked at the risk of suicide in veterans compared with people who had never served, and found that overall, their risk was no higher than non-veterans.

Children from less affluent backgrounds are likely to have found COVID-19 lockdowns more challenging to their mental health because they experienced a lower connection with nature than their wealthier peers, a new study suggests.

Older adults around the world are more willing to donate to charity than younger people, but will prioritise charitable organisations operating within their own country, new research finds. Older adults also had stronger self-reported preferences for their 'in-group' - people in the same country. They were more likely to report identifying with their country and agreed more strongly with statements such as "My country deserves special treatment".

A new study reveals differences in brain structure between antisocial and non-antisocial members of the same families. Last updated on Tuesday 5 October 2021 Structural differences in the area of the brain responsible for decision making could explain why two siblings living in the same family might differ in their risk of developing the condition conduct disorder.

In a large school-based survey of students from 9-18-years-old (Years 5 to 13), researchers from the University of Oxford, UCL and the University of Cambridge have discovered that the younger you are, the less likely you are to want a COVID-19 vaccination. Writing in  EClinicalMedicine , the authors present the results of the OxWell School Survey 2021, finding that 36% of 9-year-olds are willing to have a COVID-19 vaccination, compared to 51% of 13-year-olds, and 78% of 17-year-olds.