GoKawiilGoodhart's 'Anywheres vs Somewheres' framework faces fresh scrutiny amid shifting fortunes
David Goodhart's 2017 book The Road to Somewhere divided Western societies into mobile, university-educated 'Anywheres' and rooted, less-educated 'Somewheres', arguing the latter's resentment drove Brexit and Trump's first election. The framework was widely adopted by academics, consultants and politicians. Commentary is now revisiting whether the balance of advantage between these two groups still holds.
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If the political and economic advantages once held by mobile, urban elites are eroding, it could reshape how analysts explain populism, inequality and voting patterns going forward. The renewed debate suggests commentators see Goodhart's binary as still influential but possibly outdated, which could affect how policymakers interpret future electoral shifts.
- Goodhart's 2017 framework split society into 'Anywheres' and 'Somewheres'
- The theory was used to explain Brexit and Trump's 2016 win
- Commentators are now questioning whether the divide's dynamics have shifted
Source: fastcompany.com, 2026-10-21
Published there as: “Is it better to be urban and mobile or rooted in one place? The answer may be shifting”
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