An index, based on existing Government data from the Community Life Survey, reveals England's supposedly most and least friendly communities.

Created by The National Conversation project, part of the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion, the index scores 276 local authorities out of 100 on their national ranking across eight categories.

This includes how often they chat to neighbours, feelings of loneliness and belonging, level of trust in neighbours, local pride, volunteering and levels of participation in civic life.

The Isles of Scilly were found to be the friendliest place to live with the least friendly being Barking and Dagenham.

Second bottom (275th) was Stoke-on-Trent.

Stafford was ranked 74th with almost 65% of people saying they are proud to live in their local area, a score of 60 out of 100 in the national rankings.

71.7% of participants said that they talk to their neighbours at least monthly and 82.5% said people from different backgrounds get along well in Stafford.

The index also revealed locals' commitment to helping charities, stating "Stafford formally volunteers more than 95% of England".

Around 67% of Staffordians said they feel they belong to their neighbourhood and only 4.5% of people said they felt lonely often or always.

Less than 50% (42.6%) of participants said that many of their neighbours could be trusted and 32.2% took part in civic life in the last year (a score of 40 out of 100).

The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion aims to tackle social disconnection and division.

The National Conversation said: "The Commission brings together leading voices from across the UK to examine what's driving these divides – and what needs to change to help build stronger, more connected communities.

"Its mission is to understand the country's state of connection and cohesion, and then set out a credible shared vision for how we can live well together – alongside the practical steps needed to make it a reality.

"The Commission is co-chaired by former Conservative cabinet minister Sir Sajid Javid, and former Labour Policy Coordinator Jon Cruddas, and brings together more than 20 commissioners spanning politics, academia, business, faith and civil society.

"The insights gathered through the National Conversation will inform a report by the Commission, due to be published in late 2026.

"The Index has been developed by the Secretariat to the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion and is designed to encourage people to share their own views of their area as part of the National Conversation."

Jon Cruddas, Co-Chair of the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion and former MP for Dagenham, said: "This index is designed to get us talking.

"And I nearly choked on my cornflakes when my old area came rock bottom.

"I think government stats miss a lot of what really makes an area tick, including my old town.

"But that's why we have developed it, to spark a conversation – because what we really want is your view on your area."

The information provided by the index comes from official statistics whereas The National Conversation survey aims to more accurately reflect what it is like to live in different communities.

Click here to take the survey.

To view the index click here.