The UK Chooses Bridge Over Troubled Water as the Nation’s Favourite Song of Hope in Solidarity With Refugees

Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water has been votedas the UK’s number one #HopeHit ― as part of UK for UNHCR’s ‘Hope on Repeat’ campaign, raising awareness of the hardships facing refugees across the globe this winter.

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With 10% of the public vote, Bridge Over Troubled Water emerged as the UK’s most popular #HopeHit. Since November, the UN Refugee Agency’s national charity partner has invited people to nominate their #HopeHits - the tunes that connect us and warm our hearts as the weather gets cold. The top hit is announced today, Blue Monday, to help people get through the most depressing day of the year.

The 1970 chart topper held off stiff competition from Stand By Me by Ben E King with 5.7% of the vote and Imagine by John Lennon with 5.3%.

Hope on Repeat in support of refugees

UK for UNHCR’s winter campaign ― Hope on Repeat ― aims to highlight the experiences of refugees around the world, with a specific focus on families from Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine who will spend the winter forcibly displaced from their homes.

Music is widely seen as a universal language and a sign of solidarity. UK for UNHCR has worked with Royal College of Music academic, Norbert Meyn, to explore how music drives connection and empathy ― while a UK for UNHCR survey* shows that 73% of us believe that music unites people.

Hope on Repeat guest, Bosnian public speaker and researcher, Smajo OBE, said, “I was welcomed with open arms to the UK and Newcastle in 1994. At first, I felt out of place. But one song changed everything. My classmates and teacher sang it in Bosnian to make me feel at home.”

The Hope on Repeat campaign also features a series of five podcasts hosted by British poet, Sophia Thakur, that share the incredible stories of people forced to flee their homes ― named The Guardian’s podcast of the week. The Hope on Repeat podcast is available from www.unrefugees.org.uk/hope

Hope on Repeat guest, Ukrainian film director and producer, Mariia, said, “No matter the language, music has the power to make people feel something. It conveys the basic emotions of humanity.”

Visit unrefugees.org.uk/hope to find out what Mariia and Smajo's Hope Hits are and the stories behind them, and how you can support refugees this winter.

Editors Notes

For the latest statistics and reports, please visit UNHCR’s Operational Data Portal here. https://data.unhcr.org/

The video is available here: https://youtu.be/rTKO7zmChE0

Winning song graphic – here

Refugee Storyteller images – here

Hero video footage - YouTube / MP4

1148 people voted for their Hope Hit between 10 November 2025 and 13 January 2026.

About the survey

The UK for UNHCR-commissioned Censuswide survey questioned over 2,000 people from across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in November 2025. Responses form a snapshot of UK attitudes to music’s role in building better cultural understanding and strengthening communities in 2025.

About UK for UNHCR

UK for UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency’s national charity partner for the UK. We build solidarity, create partnerships and raise funds across the UK to help deliver global humanitarian relief for refugees through UNHCR’s work. unrefugees.org.uk

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. It delivers lifesaving assistance like shelter, food and water, helps safeguard fundamental human rights and develops solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. UNHCR also works to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality. www.unhcr.org

UK for UNHCR is a registered charity in England and Wales (registered charity number 1183415).

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