Citizen Writes
Research hot topics
From politics and societal issues, to climate change and health, our researchers give insight into hot topics, provide opinion pieces and thought-provoking articles. Take 5 and have a read.
No hiding place – from TV sport
7 July 2026
John Williams, University Fellow in Sociology,on the 2026 World Cup and other sporting spectaculars. Look, I love my sport but...
Politics, egg and chips, and World Cups
2 July 2026
John Williams, University Fellow in Sociology, continues his coverage of the 2026 World Cup. The last few weeks have seen...
Makerfield, Burnham and the future of Britain
29 June 2026
Tor Clark is Associate Professor in Journalism and a Distinguished Teaching Fellow at the University of Leicester. As a political...
Sixty Years of Leicester Law School and the Future of Legal Education
24 June 2026
By Professor Carlo Panara, Head of Leicester Law School As Leicester Law School marks its 60th anniversary, it is both...
World Cup 2026: No Scotland, no party
23 June 2026
John Williams, University Fellow in Sociology, continues his look at the 2026 World Cup. After all the pre-tournament grief about...
Trump’s World Cup, 2026
11 June 2026
John Williams, University Fellow in Sociology, considers how the 2026 FIFA World Cup differs from the last time that the...
Implications of the Makerfield byelection
18 May 2026
Tor Clark, Associate Professor in Journalism, has reported on UK politics for almost 40 years – yet, he says, the...
Dangers of unregulated ‘fast fashion’
14 May 2026
The fashion industry has always been cyclical, a constant replacement of ‘last season’s’ styles. But the development of ‘fast fashion’...
Capturing the Zeitgeist: Image Beats Policy in (Most) British Elections
1 April 2026
Professor Paul Baines examines how political parties market themselves in a changing media landscape.
Why a social media ban for teenagers misses the point
31 March 2026
Professor Jeremy Howick considers the viability of legal constraints on social media use among young people
Why your gut microbiome and heart are closer than you think
13 March 2026
Fiona Newberry explains how our gut microbiome plays an important role in many aspects of health.
How the University is helping to support local entrepreneurs
3 March 2026
The 2026 Leicestershire Innovation Festival takes place over 9-13 March and once again the University of Leicester is a key...
How the UK is keeping flood insurance affordable – until 2039
2 March 2026
Dr Dalu Zhang writes on the impact of Flood Re, a national public–private reinsurance scheme that prevents many properties from...
Trump claims his pollution rollback will save Americans money – but climate change is raising household costs
2 March 2026
US President Donald Trump recently abandoned a key government ruling on greenhouse gases, but the impact will still be seen...
Is social media addictive? How it keeps you clicking and the harms it can cause
2 March 2026
Research by Dr Quynh Hoang and colleagues on digital consumption behaviour challenges the idea that excessive social media use is...
Nancy Guthrie kidnapping: can Bitcoin ransom demand be used to track down the criminals?
2 March 2026
Dr Abdul Jabbar examines whether the perpetrators of the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping could ultimately profit without being identified, even though...