Surveys
Social surveys are an important way to gain information about a large group of people. Surveys consist of standardised questions posed to an often randomised and representative sample. This approach provides a snapshot of a particular period and, in the case of large-scale studies, allows researchers to track changes in the population over time. Read more about surveys here.
- The European Social Survey (ESS) is managed from City, University of London. It is a cross-national survey on European attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour patterns. Includes an online data analysis tool
- British Social Attitudes Survey (BSAS) tracks people's changing social, political, and moral attitudes
- ONS: Family Resources Survey (FRS) is an annual report on the incomes and living circumstances of UK households and families
- ONS: Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF) is the most significant survey on household spending in the UK
- ONS: Labour Force Survey (LFS) covers a wide range of employment- and unemployment-related topics
Aggregate data is simply data that has been combined together. Social scientists sometimes combine or aggregate variables into an index, or composite indicator (CI). This is particularly useful for concepts that cannot be directly measured, such as human development or happiness. The following are examples of data that have been aggregated into CIs. Read more about aggregate data here and CIs here and here.
- ONS: Societal and personal well-being datasets
- Walk Free Foundation produce an annual Global Slavery Index covering current slavery estimates, government responses, and local vulnerabilities
- OECD Better Life Index compares well-being across countries using 11 topics related to living conditions and quality of life
- Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a US statistic which measures price changes for consumer goods and services (featured in this podcast)
- Freedom in the World is an annual report ranking political rights and civil liberties (the site contains an interactive map, though no downloadable data)
- Healthy Streets Index is an interactive spatial dataset. It is an interesting example of the methods used to create indices
Longitudinal Data
Longitudinal studies track the same respondents over a period of time. The UK is home to some of the largest and longest-running longitudinal studies in the world. Read more about longitudinal research here.
- 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS) has tracked a cohort of babies from birth (1958) to the present to understand how different educational and life paths can impact wages, jobs, relationships, and health
- Understanding Society (UK Household Longitudinal Study) builds on the 1991 British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and collects health, work, education, income, family, and social life data on members of the same household every ten years
- UCL's CLOSER site provides information on longitudinal studies conducted in the U.K. and access to datasets
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