ESDS Government

http://www.esds.ac.uk/governmentgovsurveys@esds.ac.uk

Tel: (0161) 275 1980

Jo Wathan CCSR, University of Manchester

Which surveys?• General Household Survey/Continuous Household Survey• Labour Force Survey• Expenditure and Food Survey (previously the National

Food Survey and Family Expenditure Survey) • Family Resources Survey • Time Use Survey • British Social Attitudes/Scottish Social Attitudes/Northern

Ireland Life & Times/Young People’s Social Attitudes• ONS Omnibus Survey • Annual Population Survey• National Travel Survey (NI Travel Survey)• British Crime Survey/Scottish Crime Survey (NI Crime

Survey)• Health Survey for England/Wales/Scotland (NI

Health and Social Well Being Survey)• Survey of English Housing

Why use ESDS Government?

• To use the data to explore a subject for which results are otherwise unavailable

• To find out more about the data– What research has been and is being

done?– Checking documentation– Keeping up to date– Asking questions

Using the data? All of these microdata are:

• Licenced – so you need to register. More detailed data may need approved researcher status

• Individual information akin to the sort of data you would collect if you were conducting your own survey

• Need to be analysed in an appropriate software package (like SPSS or Stata)

• Anonymised – may find some variables dropped or grouped

What are ESDS Government data like?

• ‘Nationally’ representative survey microdata

• Continuous surveys – always up-to-date

• Large sample sizes (GHS 20K, HSE 10k)

• Cross-sectional (although the LFS has a 5-quarter panel element and new GHS has 4 yearly panel)

• Specialist topic surveys – more depth than the Census

• Identifying information is removed

Microdata

Practical research uses of the data

• Looking at change over time

• Look at sub-populations

• Using the flexibility of the data to look at alternative definitions

• Looking within households

Secondary analysis:change for subpopulations

SMOKING AND SOCIAL CLASS - MEN

05

101520

253035

4045

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

year

%

all sc I&II sc IV&VSource:HSE

Marmot, M (2003)

Exploring definitionsMoore and Shepherd (2007 British Journal of Criminology 47, 154ff) 2 dimensions of fear of crime

Using Hierarchy

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Bang

Ind

BC

BA

Pak

Chinese

Irish

White

Higgins (unpublished work in progress)

What affect does a parents fruit and veg in take have on their children’s?

% of children who have 5 a day if their parents do

How have the data been used?

Registered uses

...and publications

Documentation

• Standard survey documentation• Topic guides• Variable searches• Change over time maps for key

variables

Keeping up to date• Website contains news & information

about consultations/data developments

• JISCmail esds-govsurveys list• Newsletter• User Meetings

– GHS– Crime– LFS– Health

• Biennial Research Conference• Other events

http://www.esds.ac.uk/governmentgovsurveys@esds.ac.uk

Tel: (0161) 275 1980