Introduction to the key large-scale government surveys

1. Introduction to the key large-scale government surveys Vanessa Higgins ESDS Government Centre for Census and Survey Research (CCSR) University of Manchester

2. My mission… • Intro to Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS) and how we can help you. • Good quality data available to you • What there is • How it is can be used for research and teaching • Which is easy to get hold of, and to use • Registration • Access • Support services/resources

3. ESDS Government • One of four specialist services of ESDS. ESDS is a new national data service (since Jan 03) • ESDS Government • ESDS Longitudinal • ESDS Qualidata • ESDS International • ESDS Government provides access and user support for key large-scale government surveys such as Labour Force Survey and General Household Survey • Access remains via the UKDA

6. ESDS Government - some of the things we do! • Helpdesk • Online guides – SPSS, STATA, Employment Research, Health Research, Weighting • User Group seminars (data users and data creators) • Publications Database • Survey pages incl. how to get started • Teaching datasets • Training http://www.esds.ac.uk/government

7. Which surveys? • General Household Survey • Labour Force Survey • Health Survey for England/Wales/Scotland • British Crime Survey • Family Resources Survey • Expenditure and Food Survey (previously the National Food Survey and Family Expenditure Survey) • ONS Omnibus Survey • Survey of English Housing • British Social Attitudes • National Travel Survey • Time Use Survey

8. Microdata

9. Why use the data in research? • Free! • Wide range of topics • Good quality data with large samples • Continuous data allows comparison over time • Hierarchical data: many collect household info and individual data from everyone in household • Allows good description of household • Household context of an individual • Intra-household differences/similarities • Can be used in a variety of ways… • As sole source of data for straight secondary analysis • As context for a qualitative or locality study

10. QUALITY OF DATA (1) • Two main data collectors: • Office for National Statistics (ONS) • NatCen • Both have considerable experience • ONS Social Surveys started in 1941 • Natcen founded in 1969 (as SCPR) • Permanent panels of highly trained field interviewers • Management and Quality Checking • (Relatively) high response rates – but falling • Widespread use by secondary analysts

11. QUALITY OF DATA (2)Example of GHS data collection

12. QUALITY OF DOCUMENTATION • Questionnaire • Code book of Variables • Description of Derived Variables • Definitions • Methodology including • Sampling method • Response achieved • Population base • Published reports

13. Health Survey for England documentation

14. Health Survey for England documentation

15. Health Survey for England documentation

16. Documentation - GHS Questionnaire

17. Documentation - GHS Questionnaire

18. Health Exemplar. Monitoring trends

19. Health exemplar. Secondary analysis Marmot, M (2003)

20. Health exemplar. Secondary analysis Marmot, M (2003)

21. Health exemplar. Secondary analysis Marmot, M (2003)

22. Health exemplar. Secondary analysis Marmot, M (2003)

23. Health exemplar. Secondary analysis Marmot, M (2003)

24. Pros… Reasonable amount of comparability Can pool years/quarters Data is representative at each time point Good at looking at impacts on groups Cons… Limits to continuity in the data (e.g. ethnic) Cannot establish individual change Cannot look at dynamics Unlikely to be able to look at individual process (e.g. modelling with predictor variable) Using successive cross-sectional data over time

25. Choosing a survey for research • Which surveys cover your main topic? • Which other topics are you interested in? • Measurement over time • Geography • Respondents – whole household, children? • Sample size

26. Using the data in teaching • Methods courses • Using the data in a hands on manner • Using substantive exemplars to demonstrate a methodological point • Using the surveys as methodological exemplars • Substantive courses • Making your point using data • Integrating methods into substantive courses • Teaching datasets • General Household Survey • Labour Force Survey • British Crime Survey • Health Survey for England (late 2004)

27. Continuous Population Survey • Integrates LFS, GHS, EFS, OMN, APS into single survey: • Fieldwork begins January 2008 (provisional) • Annual achieved sample size = 265,000 households (over half a million adults) GB • Common coremodule of questions to whole sample Topic modules to portions of sample Core and topic modules combined to construct a number of different viable interview combinations • Advantages: • Improved reporting about the population inbetween Censuses at national, regional and sub-regional level • Gains in precision of estimates (bigger sample size and unclustered sample design) • Greater coherence in official statistics, fewer ‘competing estimates’ between surveys

28. Summary so far….. • ESDS Government • Data: what is available, quality, how it can be used • Nature and quality of documentation from UKDA • Things to consider when choosing a survey for research • How you might use the data for teaching • Continuous Population Survey

29. How to get started • Registration with ESDS • Downloading the datasets from UKDA • Exploring data with Nesstar • Useful resources

30. Registration

38. Downloading data

50. Exploring data in Nesstar