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ESDS Government. Vanessa Higgins Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research University of Manchester ESDS Awareness Day December 2003. Summary of talk. Introduction to the large-scale government surveys ESDS government plans
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ESDS Government Vanessa Higgins Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research University of Manchester ESDS Awareness Day December 2003
Summary of talk • Introduction to the large-scale government surveys • ESDS government plans “To promote and facilitate increased and more effective use of large-scale government survey datasets in research, and learning and teaching across a range of disciplines.”
The large-scale government surveys • General Household Survey • Labour Force Survey • Health Survey for England/Wales/Scotland • Family Expenditure Survey • British Crime Survey • Family Resources Survey • National Food Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey • ONS Omnibus Survey • Survey of English Housing • British Social Attitudes • National Travel Survey • Time Use Survey
Benefits of the large-scale government datasets • Good quality data • Produced by experienced research organisations • Usually nationally representative with large samples. Interviewers all over country • Good response rates • Well documented, ONS etc UKDA, QB • Continuous data • E.g GHS 1971, allows comparison over time • Data is largely cross-sectional • Hierarchical data • Individual and household • Intra-household differences • Household effects on individuals
Percentage of women aged 18-49 cohabiting General Household Survey
ESDS Government • Led by CCSR and working closely with the UKDA • UKDA will continue to be responsible for acquisition of data and dissemination • dissemination mainly on-line/ much via NESSTAR • CCSR will cover added value: • highlighting the research potential of datasets • providing help for users (new and ‘old’) • enhancements to datasets to promote research and teaching use • encourage interaction
Theme based approach • Theme based approach • Year 1: Employment and labour market • Year 2: Health • Year 3: Social exclusion • Inform a lot of the value added ‘products’ we produce.
Highlighting research potential • Generate new users, • especially PhD students, younger researchers • Train the trainers, • awareness raising PhD supervisors • Do this via conference presentations, talks to graduate schools, articles in newsletters and journals • Twice yearly newsletters
Help for users (1) • Workshops on how to get started • 2003: Oxford, Manchester, Newcastle, Surrey • theme based, intro to surveys, access • slides under ‘events’ on: www.esds.ac.uk/government • 2004: intro to large-scale government datasets with hands-on intro to analysis skills (June) • Methods and new opportunities • weighting (March, London) • data linkage (May, Manchester) • Other CCSR courses • SPSS/ STATA • data analysis methods • bursaries
Help for users (2) • Web-based user guides • themed introductory guides Year 1, employment and labour market Year 2, health • STATA and SPSS • methodological topics e.g. weighting • Survey web pages • ‘Starting Analysis’ • link to ONS publications & useful websites • FAQs • Helpdesk, Jiscmail list
Enhancements to datasets • Produce extra derived variables User consultation www.esds.ac.uk/government/news/ • to provide comparability with 2001 census: GHS & LFS • key variables (consistent over time): GHS & LFS Database of contextual variables for each year • regional/national rates of unemployment, RPI, interest rate for 1975-1995 • Geographically referenced variables • linked to Common GIS: interactive web-based exploration and visualization tool for data with sub-regional geography. • Teaching datasets • Labour Force Survey 2002 (links to STATA guide) • British Crime Survey 2000 • Plan Health Survey for England in 2004
Interaction • Developments at ONS and NatCen • benefit and influence • encourage interaction with research community • maximise interests of data depositors, commissioning departments and research community • User group meetings • LFS October 2003 (establish annually) • HSE January 2004 • Family Expenditure Survey (FES) virtual user group (jisclist) • High level annual research conference for policy makers • December 2003 : Social & Demo Change • December 2004 : health? • Meetings/ongoing liaison with ONS & ESDS Govt
Summary • Large-scale govt surveys provide valuable data sources for research and teaching • Datasets available from ESDS Government at UKDA (Nesstar) • ESDS Government at CCSR provide value added support: • theme based (year 1 employment, year 2, Health) • generate new users, educate supervisors • workshops for new users/more advanced workshops • survey web pages, help-desk, jiscmail lists • extra derived variables and geo-referenced variables • teaching datasets • user groups • research conference
Keeping in touch • ESDS Government helpdesk • govsurveys@esds.ac.uk • (0161) 275 1980 • ESDS-govsurveys JISCmail • send the following message to listserv@jiscmail.ac.uk subscribe esds-govsurveys first name second name -- • Join the mailing list to receive newsletter • www.ccsr.ac.uk/esds/join/ • ESDS Government web pages • www.esds.ac.uk/government • Events side bar menu for slides