Society  48% of the public feel that community spirit in their local area is strong. When taking the UK as a whole, however, just 27% feel that a strong community spirit exists. While 62% of the public admit to not being active in their local community, 44% say they would like to get more involved. Source: The National Lottery.

New research suggests that two-thirds of UK adults can expect to become an unpaid carer during their lifetimes. Just 14% think that if they were in a position where they had to care for a family member, they would do a very good job. 55% think they would do a fairly good job, while 19% think they would do a fairly bad job. Women (76%) are more likely than men (63%) to think they would do a good job at caring for a family member. Source: YouGov.

A new social media campaign is being launched by Police Scotland in an attempt to end gender-based violence (GBV). Over the past six years, 56 people have died as a result of GBV, with females accounting for 75% of victims and 82% of perpetrators being male. Source: Metro.

Passengers travelling by train were recently upgraded to first class, to make room for Jeremy Corbyn, who wanted to travel in standard class. 45% of Brits say it doesn't matter where party leaders sit, including 42% of Labour voters and 45% of Conservative voters. 36% say they should sit in standard class, while just 13% think party leaders should sit in first class. Source: YouGov.



Economy  The average millennial spends less than four years with an employer before moving on to another. By the age of 34, many millennials have had up to six jobs – the average person nearing retirement age has usually had seven in their lifetime. Source: Open Study College.

Education  60 UK universities have started an eight-day strike this week on two main issues: pensions and pay/conditions. Around half of all UK universities will be affected including 12 in Scotland: Heriot-Watt University, University of Aberdeen, University of Dundee, University of Stirling, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of St Andrews, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow School of Art, Queen Margaret University and the Scottish Association for Marine Science. Source: University and Colleges Union.

Students are the worst group for wasting food and throw out an average of £273 worth each year. In Scotland, £1bn worth of food is thrown away each year, prompting calls to reduce portion size. Source: Zero Waste Scotland.



Science  The World Meteorological Organisation has calculated that atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases reached new highs last year. The increase was above the average for the last 10 years and is 147% of the 'pre-industrial' level in 1750. Source: BBC.

86% of Scots believe that man did indeed land on the Moon on 20 July 1969. Source: Scotpulse.



Health  Currently, 33 US states have legalised cannabis for medical use and 11 states have also legalised recreational use. However, at the federal level, cannabis use remains illegal. Source: BBC.

Breast cancer is very rare in men, with 390 cases diagnosed each year, compared to 54,800 women. Source: Cancer Research UK.

The average person in their 20s has a genetic wake-up time – the time at which they wake-up naturally – of 8:47am. The time changes with age: for those in their 30s, it's 8:19am; for 40s, it's 7:50am; and for 50s, it's 7:22am. The average genetic wake-up time across all ages is 7:55am. Source: 23andMe.

Recreation  Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fast approaching (29 November and 2 December) but 52% of Brits don't plan to buy anything for themselves or others on either of these days. The older you are, the less likely you are to shop – 71% of those over 65 don't have any shopping plans, compared to 36% of those aged 18-24. Source: YouGov.



Oddities  In September, around 9.4 million Brits (17% of the eligible voting population) hadn't yet registered to vote - whether at their current address or at all. Since then, around three million are believed to have done so. Source: BBC.