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Exploring the potential: Examining archived data at Mass Observation and ESDS Qualidata
Thursday 19 January 2006The Library, University of Sussex
Catching the trainCatching the train
a different way of doing a different way of doing researchresearch
Bill Bytheway, Open University
AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements
This paper is based on research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (RES-
000-22-0566)
It draws on evidence from: the Mass-Observation Archive at the University
of Sussex, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), and the Tony Benn Diary Archive
Aims of the Birthdays ProjectAims of the Birthdays Project
to collect and analyse evidence about
the social significance of birthdays
and about
how birthdays contribute to a personal sense of ageing
Data for the Birthdays ProjectData for the Birthdays Project
Published autobiographical writing
Tony Benn, May Sarton, etc.
Submissions to the Mass-Observation Archive
186 writers
Statistical data from the ONS Omnibus Survey
1,841 respondents
Published autobiographical writingPublished autobiographical writing
Memoirs
Diaries
Correspondences
Autobiographies
etc.
Potential strengths
• dated
• continuing
Potential weaknesses
• self-promoting
• Selective and edited
• approved
Some birthday entries Some birthday entries in some famous diariesin some famous diaries
To-day is my birthday. I am to-day fourteen years old !
Queen Victoria 24 May 1833
Today is my 18th birthday ! Queen Victoria 24 May 1837
To-day was my 21st birthday. Vera Brittain 29 December 1914
My 39th birthday. Evelyn Waugh 28 October 1942
Forty-six today; fifty in sight. Peter Hall 22 November 1976
I reach the age of sixty. Harold Nicolson21 November 1946
May Sarton writing shortly May Sarton writing shortly before her 84before her 84thth birthday birthday
I mostly simply feel ill, feel ‘not well’, feel that
something serious is wrong which I cannot control and which I don’t understand. The doctor seems to think I am in fine shape, and thank goodness, I heard yesterday that I can drive as soon as I feel able to. I think I’ll wait till after my birthday. Then I will start driving; it will be a tremendous freedom to be able to do that.
(Sarton 1996: 295)
3rd April 1970
My 45th birthday. Had the usual family ritual with people coming in with presents and I got a lovely summer nightshirt from Carol and various other things.
Tony Benn’s diary entry on his Tony Benn’s diary entry on his 4545thth birthday birthday
1st April 1985
I have had five invitations to go on chat shows, because it's my sixtieth birthday on Wednesday. I suppose when you reach sixty the journalists think they can rehabilitate you as an eccentric, lovable old character.
Tony Benn’s diary entry two Tony Benn’s diary entry two days before his 60days before his 60thth birthday birthday
3rd April 2000
My seventy-fifth birthday. … I had put a note in to the Speaker saying that I'd like to ask a question about pensions during Social Security questions, and obligingly she called me. I made a strong point about linking pensions to earnings, and in reply Alistair Darling, the Social Security Secretary, wished me a happy birthday and said that he was sure I was looking forward to my free television licence – which really was an insulting response.
Tony Benn’s diary entry on his Tony Benn’s diary entry on his 7575thth birthday birthday
The ONS Omnibus SurveyThe ONS Omnibus SurveyQuestion 1 Thinking back to your last birthday, which, if any, of the following areas of your life did you feel were affected by the change in your age?
a) My employmentb) My rights under the lawc) My educational
opportunitiesd) My access to health
servicese) My income (including
welfare benefits)f) My use of transport
The ONS Omnibus SurveyThe ONS Omnibus SurveyQuestion 2
Thinking about your birthdays in general, which, if any, of the following statements apply to you at the present time?
a) My birthdays are no different to any other day
b) I enjoy celebrating my birthdays
c) I think of my birthday as another milestone
d) My family and/or friends make an effort to ensure that my birthday is a special day
e) On reaching my birthday I tend to feel my age
“I enjoy celebrating my birthdays”
Men Women16-24 58 % 68 %
25-44 48 % 60 %
45-54 39 % 56 %
55-64 31 % 51 %
65-74 30 % 50 %
75 + 33 % 53 %
Strengths of M-O for researchStrengths of M-O for research
A panel of several hundred anonymous, ‘ordinary people’
Longitudinal, dating back to 1981
More representative than published autobiographical writing
Offers thoughts and experiences in the writers’ own words
Complements and amplifies survey data
Weaknesses of M-O for researchWeaknesses of M-O for research
over-time comparisons not easy
not statistically representative
no opportunity to engage directly with writers
The Birthdays Directive The Birthdays Directive June 2002June 2002
Panellists were invited to ‘explore’ six areas: ‘your previous birthday’ ‘people who remember your birthday’ ‘people whose birthdays you like to remember’ ‘your most memorable birthday’ ‘the significance of birthdays’ ‘what you record in a seven-day diary’
On my birthday I tend On my birthday I tend to feel my ageto feel my age
“ When it was my sixtieth I told my daughters I did not want to have a party or any fuss made. This business of making a do of the ‘0’ birthdays has come about fairly recently in my lifetime – I don’t like it – it just emphasises the fact that one is getting older. ”
(P1637)
No different to any other dayNo different to any other day
“ My last birthday was on September
25th 2001, and I became 64 years old.
It was a Tuesday and I did the normal
work for that day, vacuumed, dusted,
but as it was a lovely sunny day, sat
out in the garden as well. ”(W571)
A special dayA special day
“It was as though I had accomplished something extraordinary in attaining the age of 80, whereas in a way I had had nothing to do with it. It was referred to by more than one person as the big eight-0 and was asked more than once how it felt – as if, overnight, I should have changed into a different person. The truth was, of course, I felt no different to when I went to bed the night before.”
(R1418)
Directives used for the collated Directives used for the collated databasedatabase
Celebrations No. 33 Winter 1990
The pace of life No. 36 Spring 1992
Growing older No. 38 Winter 1992
Death and bereavement No. 42 Spring 1994
The future No. 53 Autumn 1997
Staying well and everyday life
No. 55 Autumn 1998
Your family No. 61 Autumn 2000
Birthdays No. 67 Summer 2002
Continuity in responsesContinuity in responses
Number responding:
To Birthdays in 2002 186
To Birthdays and Celebrations in 1990 120
To all eight directives between 1990 and 2002
78
W729’s 33W729’s 33rdrd birthday in 1990 birthday in 1990
“My last birthday - it was the day Len and I went on holiday. Because I don't like and never have been keen on celebrations and, because even now (at 33!) my mother still makes a thing of my birthday if she gets given a chance, I prefer to be away on that day. In 1989 it was a perfect day … in Ireland. This year it was mostly on the A9 … on the way to the Outer Hebrides. The day before, everyone (parents, aunt and uncle) had come over to our house with cards and presents so, on the day, we could get away early. I can't remember what I got … but my Mum did give me a tiny iced cake (four to six inches high and maybe four inches across) and we stopped … at a picnic site and cut this cake. It had one candle and a wide lilac ribbon round the outside. I have a photo of it somewhere, me sitting at the picnic table with cake. We ended up in a lovely bed and breakfast in … and had a lovely seafood meal in a hotel that night. It was a good birthday.”
W729’s 45W729’s 45rdrd birthday in 2002 birthday in 2002
“My last birthday was yesterday (July 6th). I was 45 years old and on holiday for a few days in San Francisco. My husband and I went out to a cafe for breakfast and I had French toast with sausage and crispy bacon … Then we caught a Blue and Gold Line ferry to Tiburon, on the other side of the bay … and spent a couple of hours wandering around its little shops and streets. We also had more coffee out on a deck and got the waitress to take a photo of us with the bay behind us. I was really tired at the end of the day. I suppose the celebration bit was the meal at night but, as we were on holiday in a city we'd never been to before, doing things we wanted to do, the whole day was nice. Len gave me a card on the day and, before we came on holiday (a week ago), my parents and Len's parents gave me a cheque for £25 which I banked. I will get something on holiday with the money. … My aunt and uncle gave me money and a card and the card also came with us.“