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- Textbooks for Research Methods and Data Analysis
- 1: Survey Analysis Workshop (SPSS)
- 1a: Statistical concepts and methods
- 1b: Teaching with Survey Data
- 1c: Developing research projects using survey data
- 1d: Workshop and presentations for ASSESS (SPSS users in Europe)
- 2: Survey Research Practice
- 2a: Survey Research Methodology, Practice and Training
- 2b: Major survey series
- 3: Subjective Social Indicators (Quality of Life)
- 4: Survey Unit, Social Science Research Council (UK)
- 5a: Polytechnic of North London (1976-1992)
- 5b: Survey Research Unit (1978-1992)
- Village life in Normandy
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- Origins of the British Crime Survey
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British Social Attitudes
[New page 22 June 2016: last updated 15 March 2020]
British Social Attitudes
The British Social Attitudes survey is the leading social research survey in Britain. Since 1983, the annual surveys conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (Natcen) have continually monitored and interpreted the British public's changing attitudes towards social, economic, political and moral issues. Its findings are reported and interpreted in a series of annual reports.
See also the 2013 article by Jenny Church Looking back at thirty years of the British Social Attitudes survey.
Annual reports
Natcen publishes annual reports on-line via the British Social Attitudes website. Reports are published 12 to 18 months after completion of fieldwork, so year of publication is not the same as year of data collection. For instance, BSA 36 report (2019) refers to data collected in 2017-18.
[NB: The data and documentation for 2018 have now been added to the UKDS collection as SN8606
British Social Attitudes Survey, 2018
Data files and documentation
The British Social Attitudes Information System is maintained by the Centre for Comparative European
Survey Data (CCESD) to provide non-specialist users with on-line access and analysis of a cumulative database of over 20,000 survey questions asked in British Social Attitudes surveys since 1983.
Once reports are published the data and documentation are also deposited with the UK Data Service (UKDS) based at Essex University.
The whole series is on SN 200006 British Social Attitudes Survey
beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk/datacatalogue/series/series?id=200006#!/access-data
Associated links are:
The list of currently available waves is on BSAS filenames The collection currently includes data and documentation for all waves from 1983 to 2017 plus the 1983-1983 panel survey and two cumulative files 1983-1989 and 1983 to 1991.
Questionnaires (in CAPI/BLAISE format only) are also available for waves 25 (2007) onwards.
Exploring the SPSS files
For many years I have made intensive use of data from the British Social Attitudes series, both for research (all waves) and until 1992 in teaching (mainly the 1989 wave). Partly with a view to updating the examples and exercises in my tutorials, partly to pursue my interest in survey indicators of quality of life and psychological well-being, I have been exploring the SPSS files distributed by UKDS for all waves.
Downloading BSAS data from the U K Data Service is a new tutorial detailing the process needed to register and download data
Detailed commentaries on the ease of use and understanding of the SPSS saved files are on page:
British Social Attitudes: Exploring the SPSS files.
Teaching with British Social Attitudes data
Data from waves 2009 to 2014 are used in new tutorials on this site (See page Three (or more) variables)
British Social Attitudes: Cumulative file 1983 onwards
Attempting analyses across waves became increasingly frustrating as I encountered many anomalies, incompatibilities and inconsistencies, not to mention universally incomplete and/or incorrect specifications of measurement levels, missing values and value labels. Accordingly I set myself the task of generating, as a resource for teachers, students and researchers, a single cumulative SPSS file for all waves from 1983 to 2014. One colleague described this undertaking as "Herculean": he was right!
The beta version of the cumulative file to 2014 was completed on 20 June 2016. The 2015 , 2016 and 2017waves have now been added to the cumulative file, but I still need to check for occasional glitches. Details of how to download and convert the files are on page British Social Attitudes: Making files from different years compatible
The various processes are described on page British Social Attitudes 1983 - 2017 : Cumulative SPSS file,
British Social Attitudes
The British Social Attitudes survey is the leading social research survey in Britain. Since 1983, the annual surveys conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (Natcen) have continually monitored and interpreted the British public's changing attitudes towards social, economic, political and moral issues. Its findings are reported and interpreted in a series of annual reports.
See also the 2013 article by Jenny Church Looking back at thirty years of the British Social Attitudes survey.
Annual reports
Natcen publishes annual reports on-line via the British Social Attitudes website. Reports are published 12 to 18 months after completion of fieldwork, so year of publication is not the same as year of data collection. For instance, BSA 36 report (2019) refers to data collected in 2017-18.
[NB: The data and documentation for 2018 have now been added to the UKDS collection as SN8606
British Social Attitudes Survey, 2018
Data files and documentation
The British Social Attitudes Information System is maintained by the Centre for Comparative European
Survey Data (CCESD) to provide non-specialist users with on-line access and analysis of a cumulative database of over 20,000 survey questions asked in British Social Attitudes surveys since 1983.
Once reports are published the data and documentation are also deposited with the UK Data Service (UKDS) based at Essex University.
The whole series is on SN 200006 British Social Attitudes Survey
beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk/datacatalogue/series/series?id=200006#!/access-data
Associated links are:
- British Social Attitudes (website)
- British Social Attitudes Information System
- British Social Attitudes (NatCen)
The list of currently available waves is on BSAS filenames The collection currently includes data and documentation for all waves from 1983 to 2017 plus the 1983-1983 panel survey and two cumulative files 1983-1989 and 1983 to 1991.
Questionnaires (in CAPI/BLAISE format only) are also available for waves 25 (2007) onwards.
Exploring the SPSS files
For many years I have made intensive use of data from the British Social Attitudes series, both for research (all waves) and until 1992 in teaching (mainly the 1989 wave). Partly with a view to updating the examples and exercises in my tutorials, partly to pursue my interest in survey indicators of quality of life and psychological well-being, I have been exploring the SPSS files distributed by UKDS for all waves.
Downloading BSAS data from the U K Data Service is a new tutorial detailing the process needed to register and download data
Detailed commentaries on the ease of use and understanding of the SPSS saved files are on page:
British Social Attitudes: Exploring the SPSS files.
Teaching with British Social Attitudes data
Data from waves 2009 to 2014 are used in new tutorials on this site (See page Three (or more) variables)
British Social Attitudes: Cumulative file 1983 onwards
Attempting analyses across waves became increasingly frustrating as I encountered many anomalies, incompatibilities and inconsistencies, not to mention universally incomplete and/or incorrect specifications of measurement levels, missing values and value labels. Accordingly I set myself the task of generating, as a resource for teachers, students and researchers, a single cumulative SPSS file for all waves from 1983 to 2014. One colleague described this undertaking as "Herculean": he was right!
The beta version of the cumulative file to 2014 was completed on 20 June 2016. The 2015 , 2016 and 2017waves have now been added to the cumulative file, but I still need to check for occasional glitches. Details of how to download and convert the files are on page British Social Attitudes: Making files from different years compatible
The various processes are described on page British Social Attitudes 1983 - 2017 : Cumulative SPSS file,