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- My personal pantheon (of the great and the good in survey research)
- Recent and planned activities
- 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
- Contact
United Kingdom (Major survey series: academic and other)
[Page last updated 8 May 2018]
Other regular surveys include the British Social Attitudes series, longitudinal surveys (eg 1958 National Child
Development Study, the 1970 British Cohort Study and the Millennium Cohort Study) the National Readership Survey, and polls by major research companies. These can provide important bench-marking information for sampling purposes.
Other regular surveys include the British Social Attitudes series, longitudinal surveys (eg 1958 National Child
Development Study, the 1970 British Cohort Study and the Millennium Cohort Study) the National Readership Survey, and polls by major research companies. These can provide important bench-marking information for sampling purposes.
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.
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 over the last 25 years.
Data and documentation from all surveys from 1983 are routinely deposited with the UK Data Service
(UKDS) based at Essex University. Files are accessible from UKDS.: the list of currently available waves is on British Social Attitudes 1983 onwards.
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 over the last 25 years.
Data and documentation from all surveys from 1983 are routinely deposited with the UK Data Service
(UKDS) based at Essex University. Files are accessible from UKDS.: the list of currently available waves is on British Social Attitudes 1983 onwards.
Understanding Society
Understanding Society (previously the British Household Panel Survey) is an initiative by the Economic and Social Research Council, with scientific leadership by the Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, and survey delivery by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). Data and documentation from all surveys from 1991 are routinely deposited with, and are accessible from, the UK Data Service (UKDS) and the list of currently available waves is on Understanding Society: Waves 1-7, 2009-2016 and Harmonised BHPS: Waves 1-18, 1991-2009 . There is also a free User Support Forum for queries and problems.
I am currently contemplating the development of teaching materials using data from the survey: any such materials which will be made available via UKDS. See also Commentary on Understanding Society 2010 .
I am currently contemplating the development of teaching materials using data from the survey: any such materials which will be made available via UKDS. See also Commentary on Understanding Society 2010 .
Cohort surveys of child development
The Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) is an ESRC Resource Centre, based at the Institute of Education, University of London. CLS houses three of Britain's internationally-renowned birth cohort studies: CLS provides support and facilities for those using data from the three studies, as well as conducting research using the cohort data, with a special interest in family life and parenting, family economics, youth life course transitions and basic skills.
British Election Study
The British Election Study (BES) has been conducted at every General Election since 1964. Its main goal is to describe and to explain why people vote, why they vote as they do, what affects the election outcome, and what are the consequences of elections for democracy in Britain.
One of the key bits of evidence on why the polls got it wrong in 2015 is now in the public domain – the British Election Study face to face survey. The data itself is downloadable here if you have SPSS or Stata, and the BES team have written about it here and here. The BES has two elements – an online panel study, going back to the same people before, during and after the election campaign, and a post-election random face-to-face study, allowing comparison with similar samples going back to the 1964 BES. This is the latter part.
One of the key bits of evidence on why the polls got it wrong in 2015 is now in the public domain – the British Election Study face to face survey. The data itself is downloadable here if you have SPSS or Stata, and the BES team have written about it here and here. The BES has two elements – an online panel study, going back to the same people before, during and after the election campaign, and a post-election random face-to-face study, allowing comparison with similar samples going back to the 1964 BES. This is the latter part.
National Readership Survey
The primary purpose of the National Readership Survey (NRS) is to provide reliable readership estimates for national newspapers and major consumer magazines. Currently over 250 titles are surveyed. To capture the trends in readership, NRS interviews a large sample of 36,000 adults (aged 15+) each year on a continuous basis. Interviews are conducted face-to-face in the homes of respondents. Because of the sample size, this survey is used to benchmark samples for other surveys.
- A large sample: 36,000 interviews with adults aged 15+ per year
- The interview is conducted in the respondent's home
- The average interview takes 27 minutes
- A random sample: only the specific individuals sampled are interviewed