The Big Top of the Charts Christmas Quiz 2025

It’s nearly Christmas which means it’s time for three things: a quiz of the year, festive reflections and something to look forward to in 2026.

First, you don’t want to add to your reading list. But I couldn’t believe you wouldn’t want another chart. So this year the Resolution Christmas card brings you a bit more about Santa’s finances – as you hang up your stocking spare a thought for his high energy costs and low Toy Factory Productivity. You can also test your memory of 2025 in our annual quiz. There is even exclusive Resolution Foundation merch available as a prize. Normally only given to current and former staff, so now presumably a common sight in Downing Street…

Second, it’s been nearly a year for me at the helm. Thank you for sticking with Top of the Charts through the change of ownership. A weekly email, regular media appearances, sitting on a stage….there have been many firsts for me this year. Perhaps the most important is the opportunity to look at what is holding back living standards in Britain without the constraints of a particular civil service role. I worry that the problems might be bigger than some politicians realise. Before we talk of beating OBR forecasts let’s remember that to meet them would be to outperform post-2008 experience. Shifting from essentially flat productivity growth post-pandemic to 1 per cent would be a great first step. Building 1.5 million new homes is ambitious, but unlikely to be enough to shift the dial on affordability. In lots of areas, policy needs to counter a deteriorating baseline before we can promise things will be better in the future than the past. This isn’t grounds for pessimism, but fire for bolder action.

And finally, as you make plans for 2026 there is lots to look forward to! We’ll discuss our own analysis of the year ahead at an event on 8 January; and we’ll be taking stock of what sort of bolder action might shift the dial on growth at a major event later in January, two years since our landmark Economy 2030 report. In February, we will be holding a major conference detailing the lives of the 13 million working-age families across the poorest half of Britain how they have changed over recent decades, and how they can be better supported in the years ahead.

Happy Christmas,

Ruth

Chief Executive
Resolution Foundation