Open University launches bold new toolkit to tackle political disengagement

The Open University (OU) has launched a new practical toolkit aimed at helping policymakers, campaigners, and researchers engage some of the UK’s most politically disengaged communities. Titled Engaging the Disengaged: A Guide for Policymakers and Campaigners, the resource confronts one of the most persistent and under-addressed issues in UK democracy: the deep and growing gulf between political systems and the people they are meant to serve.

Political disengagement is not new, but its consequences are becoming more urgent. Research consistently shows that groups including younger people, people with lower incomes, minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities that limit their daily activities are less likely to participate in political life. These gaps in engagement contribute to unequal representation and undermine trust in democratic institutions.

But is this lack of engagement a matter of personal choice, or is it symptomatic of a political system that has failed to include, inspire, or represent vast swathes of the population?

This is the critical question tackled by Dr Donna Smith and Dr Dan Taylor, both Senior Lecturers at The Open University and leading voices in the fields of political thought and democratic engagement. Drawing on extensive research and community work across England and Wales, the pair have produced a clear, compelling, and - most importantly - usable toolkit for those serious about rebuilding civic trust.

“We’re not just diagnosing a problem,” says Dr Smith. “We’re offering real, tested strategies to do something about it. Policymakers and campaigners can’t afford to keep recycling the same approaches that don’t work for the people who are being left out.”

The toolkit draws from a range of pioneering Open University projects, including Dr Smith’s Changemakers, which works with young adults to explore how they can make meaningful social and political change, and Dr Taylor’s work on community, housing and care in regions facing structural deprivation. Together, they provide an unflinching look at what disengagement really looks like - and what can be done to address it.

Designed with busy professionals in mind, Engaging the Disengaged offers:

• Practical insights into the barriers different communities face to political engagement
• Case studies and tools for building inclusive campaigns
• Provocations and reflective questions to challenge policy norms
• Strategies tailored for policymakers, civil society groups, and researchers alike

This is not just a report, it’s a call to action, and it puts the power to drive change back in the hands of those willing to reach further and dig deeper.
Dr Taylor adds, “If you want to govern or campaign in a way that’s genuinely inclusive and democratic, you need to start with the people who’ve been most excluded. This toolkit helps you do just that.”

The toolkit is now freely available through PolicyWISE, the OU’s new knowledge exchange platform for turning academic insight into real-world impact.
With Engaging the Disengaged, The Open University once again proves why it leads the way not just in distance learning - but in making knowledge count where it matters most.