A report has found that the violent disorder that swept parts of England and Northern Ireland in summer 2024 had a “devastating” long-term impact on the mental and physical health of affected communities.

The research, by the charity People’s Health Trust, drew on the experiences of more than 50 community organisations working with tens of thousands of people in the neighbourhoods hit hardest by the racially motivated unrest.

Almost two-thirds of those groups said they thought it was likely the people they work with would experience racist hate crime and violence in the near future.

The violence broke out after the murder of three young girls in Southport, amid the spread of false information online that the perpetrator was an asylum seeker.

The research found that racialised communities in particular reported hyper-vigilance, heightened anxiety, chronic stress and fear of using public spaces.

Muslim girls and women have been particularly affected, experiencing increasing levels of Islamophobia, racism and misogyny. Many reported increased anxiety and isolation.

John Hume, the chief executive of People’s Health Trust, said: “This report lays bare the immediate and longer-term health impacts of racist violence. Last year’s racist riots have left a deep scar, especially in communities already facing inequality, discrimination, and disinvestment.”

The charity has urged the government to recognise and address the severe and lasting health impacts on those communities and to develop a specific strategy – with dedicated resources – to support those affected and help prevent future unrest.

“We need to address the root causes of this violence which is both misinformation across the media and social media and the deepening dissatisfaction resulting from decades of austerity, poor housing and cost of living crises,” Hume said.

“Now is the time for meaningful coordinated action from decision-makers at a national and local level.”

Of the grassroots organisations surveyed, 62% said those they support were “likely” or “very likely” to experience racist hate crime or violence in the near future – with many describing the abuse as a daily occurrence.

Incidents included an 18-year-old woman receiving racist abuse from adult men twice in one week.

One community arts organisation in north-west England, which contributed to the report, said: “The incident and riots actually occurred in our participants’ streets, and they claim this will definitely be a traumatic childhood experience for them – especially since some of the participants were related to the girls involved in the Southport incident, or had relatives who were friends with the families, attended their schools, or lived in their neighbourhood.”

“This has led to a physical withdrawal among the young people, with a reluctance to practise the independence they should now be displaying and celebrating. They stated that their main peer social interactions during this time occurred within our project, and they did not feel safe interacting outside of it.”

Tamsin Hoare, the Kurt and Magda Stern Foundation chair, said: “These findings shed crucial light on the deep and lasting harms caused by last summer’s violence, and on the conditions that led to it.

“We hope the recommendations, and clear and powerful calls to action, will inspire decisive change from leaders and institutions, so that all communities can feel a true sense of safety and belonging.”