A secure, cohesive society rests on more than good policy – it rests on a shared understanding of the facts. Differing views on those shared facts fuel healthy debate, but when we lose a common sense of reality, division sets in fast.

Mistaken Britain, a research series from the Policy Institute at King's College London, traces the gaps between what the public believe and what the evidence shows, across the issues that dominate our politics.

These misperceptions matter because our perceptions, and misperceptions, underpin our opinions, our actions and our votes. When different groups come to hold entirely different versions of reality, trust erodes, decisions get made on false premises, and those who trade in fear and confusion gain the advantage.

The misperceptions are neither a new phenomena in society nor a mark of low intelligence: we are simply wired to focus on threat and to remember the past as rosier than it was, while our media, politics and social feeds serve up the vivid, negative and emotive stories that confirm those instincts. This research series shines a light on the realities that we better need to communicate in order to ensure a common understanding of the facts.

Working with YouGov, each study surveys nationally representative samples of UK adults, comparing their estimates against the best official data and examining how misperceptions vary across the public.

The series comprises five studies, each on a major theme in the national conversation; crime, London, race and equality, immigration, and the state of Britain.