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- 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)
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SSRC Survey Unit Quality of Life surveys
[Page last updated 7 Feb 2018]
Between 1971 and 1975 Mark Abrams and John Hall of the SSRC Survey Unit, in collaboration with Angus Campbell and colleagues at the Survey Research Center (University of Michigan) conducted a series of surveys to develop valid and reliable subjective social indicators (conditions of, and satisfaction with. a range of life-domains and life as a whole, personal physical and psychological well-being) to set alongside standard economic and statistical indicators of national performance. These surveys were widely (and sometimes uncritically) adopted in surveys by others and pre-date by 40 years the introduction of such measures into major national surveys in the early 21st century, and their adoption by government as measures of national well-being.
The SSRC QoL surveys were;
Quality of Life: 1st pilot survey, March 1971 (N=213, quota)
Quality of Life: 2nd pilot survey, Oct-Nov-1971 (N=593, quota within probability for sampling points)
Quality of Life: 1st main UK survey, Nov 1973 – Jan 1974 (N=966, probability)
Quality of Life: Stoke-on-Trent Nov 1973 – Jan 1974 (N=764, probability)
Quality of Life: Sunderland Nov 1973 – Jan 1974 (N=788, probability)
Quality of Life: 2nd main UK survey March – May 1975 (N=932, probability):
(same electoral wards as 1973, different primary sampling units)
Publications based on the SSRC Survey Unit Quality of Life in Britain Surveys lists reports and papers available on this site.
Abstracts, data and documentation contains abstracts, summary information (Variables, fieldwork, sampling, facsimile questionnaires, user-manuals, data sets.) for all surveys.
Archived material from SSRC Survey Unit Quality of Life surveys held at UK Data Archive, Essex University.
[as at 6 Feb 2018]
SN 8250 Quality of Life: Pilot 1, March 1971
SN 248 Quality of Life; Pilot 2, October/November 1971
SN 249 Quality of Life: Urban Britain, 1973
SN 250 Quality of Life; Stoke-on-Trent, 1973/74
SN 251 Quality of Life; Sunderland, 1973/74
SN 915 Quality of Life: Urban Britain,1975
The full user manuals for 1973 and 1975 were published long after the surveys were completed.
Hall J F, Lord D, Marsh C and Ring A J
The Quality of Life Survey: Urban Britain 1973 - Users' Manual (pdf scan)
(SSRC Survey Unit, 1976, reprinted 1980)
The manual for the 1975 national survey is only available in hard copy, but very few, if any, survive:
Hall J F
The Quality of Life in Urban Britain 1975: Users' Manual
(Research Report no 8, Survey Research Unit, Polytechnic of North London, 1982)
. . but a contemporary internal working draft is available:
John Hall and David Lord
Quality of Life Survey 1975: Draft Codebook (pdf scan)
(Internal draft: SSRC Survey Unit, October 1975)
Other Quality of Life surveys
Questions about work and job satisfaction were replicated in the
SSRC Survey Unit Multi-Purpose Survey, 1975
Selected QoL questions were replicated in:
“Trinians” - Opinions and attitudes of senior girls at a public school: (Feb 1973 N=216)
..and also in a later survey at the Polytechnic of North London:
Playground to Politics: A study of teenagers' attitudes (Dec 1981, N=142)
Between 1971 and 1975 Mark Abrams and John Hall of the SSRC Survey Unit, in collaboration with Angus Campbell and colleagues at the Survey Research Center (University of Michigan) conducted a series of surveys to develop valid and reliable subjective social indicators (conditions of, and satisfaction with. a range of life-domains and life as a whole, personal physical and psychological well-being) to set alongside standard economic and statistical indicators of national performance. These surveys were widely (and sometimes uncritically) adopted in surveys by others and pre-date by 40 years the introduction of such measures into major national surveys in the early 21st century, and their adoption by government as measures of national well-being.
The SSRC QoL surveys were;
Quality of Life: 1st pilot survey, March 1971 (N=213, quota)
Quality of Life: 2nd pilot survey, Oct-Nov-1971 (N=593, quota within probability for sampling points)
Quality of Life: 1st main UK survey, Nov 1973 – Jan 1974 (N=966, probability)
Quality of Life: Stoke-on-Trent Nov 1973 – Jan 1974 (N=764, probability)
Quality of Life: Sunderland Nov 1973 – Jan 1974 (N=788, probability)
Quality of Life: 2nd main UK survey March – May 1975 (N=932, probability):
(same electoral wards as 1973, different primary sampling units)
Publications based on the SSRC Survey Unit Quality of Life in Britain Surveys lists reports and papers available on this site.
Abstracts, data and documentation contains abstracts, summary information (Variables, fieldwork, sampling, facsimile questionnaires, user-manuals, data sets.) for all surveys.
Archived material from SSRC Survey Unit Quality of Life surveys held at UK Data Archive, Essex University.
[as at 6 Feb 2018]
SN 8250 Quality of Life: Pilot 1, March 1971
SN 248 Quality of Life; Pilot 2, October/November 1971
SN 249 Quality of Life: Urban Britain, 1973
SN 250 Quality of Life; Stoke-on-Trent, 1973/74
SN 251 Quality of Life; Sunderland, 1973/74
SN 915 Quality of Life: Urban Britain,1975
The full user manuals for 1973 and 1975 were published long after the surveys were completed.
Hall J F, Lord D, Marsh C and Ring A J
The Quality of Life Survey: Urban Britain 1973 - Users' Manual (pdf scan)
(SSRC Survey Unit, 1976, reprinted 1980)
The manual for the 1975 national survey is only available in hard copy, but very few, if any, survive:
Hall J F
The Quality of Life in Urban Britain 1975: Users' Manual
(Research Report no 8, Survey Research Unit, Polytechnic of North London, 1982)
. . but a contemporary internal working draft is available:
John Hall and David Lord
Quality of Life Survey 1975: Draft Codebook (pdf scan)
(Internal draft: SSRC Survey Unit, October 1975)
Other Quality of Life surveys
Questions about work and job satisfaction were replicated in the
SSRC Survey Unit Multi-Purpose Survey, 1975
Selected QoL questions were replicated in:
“Trinians” - Opinions and attitudes of senior girls at a public school: (Feb 1973 N=216)
..and also in a later survey at the Polytechnic of North London:
Playground to Politics: A study of teenagers' attitudes (Dec 1981, N=142)