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