Can Christians lead the way to combat the post-pandemic shift to selfish individualism?

During the pandemic, many of us banded together to solve problems in our communities, and adopted a more communal approach. Alex Noel wonders if we can get back to being more ’collective’ and be a positive influence in the process.

The phrase, ‘You do you’ has become a familiar mantra, said in approval, or to justify our decisions. Like many western cultures, British society is characterised by this sense of individualism; which values independence and rewards self-reliance. It’s how we define freedom.

How much a culture emphasises the ‘I’ (Individualism) over the ‘We’ (Collectivism) can be measured. One index - part of ‘Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory’, gives the UK a score of 89. We’re highly Individualistic; outdone only by Australia (90) and the US (91).