Surveys and Social Research

Young Persons’ Attitudes Survey 2008

Why surveys?

‘Information capitalism’ Vast amounts of information collected

on all of us for range of purposes Daily ‘polls’ on issues ranging from the

serious to the ridiculous When can data be trusted?

Who wore it best?

From Heat Magazine website

Kruger 38%

Dion 62%

Recent examples Latest Mori Opinion Poll

2,063 adults Vote intention: 34% Cons, 42% Labour, 15% Lib Dem

Poll for Newsnight 1,012 adults Agree 51% Disagree 46%

Telephone poll by The Sun Newspaper 95,000 responses Bring back death

penalty – 99% agree

Which is most reliable?

Issues Sample size Representativeness Question wording

Size matters…. …..but not as much as you might think

Sample sizes and associated errors 500 => +/-4.4% 1,000 => +/-3.1% 5,000 => +/-1.4%10,000 => +/-1%

Does not matter how large the population is!

Representative? How was the survey collected?

Random sample? ‘Opt-in’, self-selection? In the street? Face-to-face? Telephone? Mail back? Online?

Non-response Is the survey biased?

Who didn’t respond?

How to deal with non-response Only possible if there is a sampling

frame Weight data Impute answers

Our Survey Young Person’s Attitude Survey

NOT random NOT representative NOT reliable

Useful How did you go about answering? Did you have to think or were answers

spontaneous? Ambiguous questions?

Results

All questions taken from existing surveys Mori Opinion Poll (~2,000) British Social Attitudes (~1,000) British Household Panel Study (~8,000)

Comparison with adult responses Remember our results not necessarily

representative of young people as a whole!

Politics and Voting I

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Sat

isfie

d

Dis

satis

fied

Don

't K

now

Sat

isfie

d

Dis

satis

fied

Don

't K

now

…the way the Government is runningthe country?'

…the way Mr. Brown is doing his job asPrime Minister?

Adults (Mori)

Young People

Politics and Voting II

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Co

nser

vativ

e

Lab

our

Lib

Dem

Na

tiona

lists

Gre

en

Oth

er

Voting intention

Adults (Mori)

Young People

Most important issue in Britain0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Race relations/immigration

Crime/Law and Order

NHS

Defence/foreign affairs

Education

Housing

Economy

Drug abuse

Taxation

Morality

Unemployment

Pollution

Adults (Mori)

Young People

Issues in Society: Immigration

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Agr

ee

Nei

ther

Dis

agre

e

Agr

ee

Nei

ther

Dis

agre

e

Agr

ee

Nei

ther

Dis

agre

e

…immigrants are good foreconomy

…immigrants bring in newideas and cultures

…every adult should carryan ID card

Adult (BSA)

Young People

Issues in society: Family life

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Agree Neither Disagree Agree Neither Disagree

Single parent can bring up children as wellas a couple

Family life suffers when the woman has afull-time job

Adult (BHPS)

YoungPeople

Education I

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

prepare young people forwork

teach basic skills bring out natural abilities

State secondary schools

Adult (BSA)

Young People

Education II

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Ag

ree

Ne

ither

Dis

agre

e

Ag

ree

Ne

ither

Dis

agre

e

Ag

ree

Ne

ither

Dis

agre

e

University education isn'tworth time and money

More advantages than paidmore

University leaves manydebts

Adult (BSA)

YoungPeople

Time Use I

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

More

Same

Less

More

Same

Less

More

Same

Less

More

Same

Less

Job

/Sch

ool

Fa

mily

Fri

ends

Leis

ure Young

People

Adult(BSA)

Leisure Activities

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Playsport/walk/cycle

Watch live sport Cinema Concert/Theatre Meal out

At least once a month...

Adult (BHPS)

Young People

About you

Young Persons’ Attitude SurveyMale 39% Female 61%

Yorkshire and Humberside 19%South West 14%Other 67%

Surveys and Social Research

Surveys used by wide range of groups in society Government (Census, Labour Force Survey) Newspapers (Opinion polls) Media (Voting shows) Market research (Who buys what, where and

when) Social research

Social Research

Key features/differences between social research and other forms Not for commercial gain Theoretically guided Understand attitudes/behaviours Inform policy and wider debates Strict codes of practice and ethics

Social Research Examples from UPTAP programme

‘Being a Muslim in Europe’ ‘Social and Political Trust’ ‘Cohabitation: Attitudes, intentions and

behaviour’ ‘Geographies of Happiness and Well-being’ ‘Employment and Cardiovascular Risk’

More details www.uptap.net