ESDS Resources for BCS Users

Vanessa Higgins Centre for Census and Survey Research

University of Manchester

ESDS Government

• Funded by ESRC, part of larger ESDS, started 2003

• Supports major UK data series– Large surveys conducted, usually by government– Eg:Labour Force Survey; General Household

Survey; British Crime Survey – Repeated cross-sections, often continuous– Important, widely used microdata

• Joint service– Team at UK Data Archive ingest and archive data– Team at Manchester deal with users– Registration for the data managed by ESDS

centrally

Role

• Too much stuff? – Navigating users through the right materials– Creating additional materials to help users

discover datasets and supporting materials

• Promoting the use of the data• Encouraging good practice• Bridging the gap between data collector

and users

Survey pages

External resources and links at dataset level

•National Statistics BCS page •British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) BCS page •Home Office (HO) BCS pages •Crime in England 2005/6 online report (HO web site) •Crime Statistics for England and Wales •Social Trends •Question Bank•Scottish Crime Survey

 

Guiding new users through...

What do our users use the data for?

2 online searchable databases:• Current Usage: Registration

information records the research use to which data is put. We share registration information on our web site if the user permits

• Publications: Users are requested to inform ESDS of publications, but we also harvest information from the ISI WOK bibliographic database

Teaching datasets

• Cut-down data for teaching• 2000 data – core sample• Excludes boosts• Includes weights for individual

and household analysis • 55 variables • User guide

Statistical/analysis guides

• SPSS

• STATA

• Weighting the social surveys

• Analysis over time

• Linking and hierarchy (forthcoming)

Themed Guides

• Employment and labour market

• Health

• Social capital

• Ethnicity

• Consumption (forthcoming)

• Data Sources in Scotland

• Data Sources in Northern Ireland

Help-desk

• 250+ Queries in the last year• Range of different ranges of complexity:

– How do I get access to the BCS?– Which weight should I use?– What level of geography can I get?– Why does my analysis show high levels of

missing data?– The documentation says variable X is in the data

but I can’t find it

• Help desk involves collaboration with UKDA, HO, ONS, NatCen etc

Outreach events

Introductory workshops Joint workshops with other ESDS servicesMethodsResearch conferencesDataset user groupsOther presentationsPosters

Keeping in touch

• Website contains news & information about consultations/data developments

• JISCmail esds-govsurveys list• Newsletter

– Biannual (June and Dec)– Available on website or hard copy– Contains

• Survey news from ONS etc• New ESDS resources• Summaries of meetings/hot topics• Focus on researchers

The important last slide…Helpdesk:

govsurveys@esds.ac.uk(0161)275 1980

Website:http://www.esds.ac.uk/government

Jisc list:esds-govsurveys@jiscmail.ac.ukCrim-bcs-users@jiscmail.ac.uk

Consultation

• Improving our services• Raising awareness and improving outreach

Consultation

• Heard of ESDS?• Heard of UKDA?• Who do we contact to get information to

you/others?• Do you think our plans will work ?

– Themed leaflets in conference packs? Which conferences?

– Themed posters to academic departments? – Workshops for new postgraduates?– Learning and teaching networks?– Any good tips for us?

• Any other resources you’d find useful?