Community and Identity
Communities are groups of people sharing a place or interest, and identity includes the values, culture and background that make us who we are.
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Communities are groups of people sharing a place or interest, and identity includes the values, culture and background that make us who we are.
- Everyone belongs to several communities
- Respecting differences builds cohesion
- Identity can change over time
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Community and Identity?
Within Economics & Civics, which covers money, markets, business, government, law and citizenship: how societies are organised and run, this topic explains Community and Identity. Economics and civics topics explain how money, markets, laws and government affect people, so each topic here pairs a clear definition with a model.
Check that you can explain Community and Identity in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Community and Identity helps you read the news critically and weigh up policies, choices and arguments about society.
Community and Identity in detail
Identity is how we see ourselves and how others see us, shaped by family, culture, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, interests, language and local area. People have multiple identities, such as being a student, a sibling and a citizen, and these can change over time.
A community is a group of people who share a place, interests or values, and communities help provide support and belonging. In the UK, there is a mix of regional, national and cultural identities. Respecting different identities and finding common ground, such as shared values, helps communities live together. Challenges include prejudice and division.
How the interactive helps you understand Community and Identity
Click a card to flip it and reveal the answer, then move on to the next one.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Community and Identity.
Real-life uses and examples
- Relate Community and Identity to a news story about prices, jobs, elections or government spending.
- Use Community and Identity to weigh up the pros and costs of a policy or decision.
- Explain Community and Identity to a classmate using a choice you make yourself, such as spending pocket money.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Giving an opinion without evidence or a clear economic or civic reason.
- Confusing a short-term effect with a long-term one.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Community and Identity
What is Community and Identity?
Communities are groups of people sharing a place or interest, and identity includes the values, culture and background that make us who we are.
What are the most important points about Community and Identity?
The main points are: Everyone belongs to several communities; Respecting differences builds cohesion; Identity can change over time.
Why is Community and Identity useful?
Understanding Community and Identity helps you read the news critically and weigh up policies, choices and arguments about society.
How can I practise Community and Identity?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Community and Identity?
Related topics in Economics & Civics include Freedom of Speech, The United Nations and Its Agencies, Environmental Citizenship.