1. ESDS Government http://www.esds.ac.uk/government govsurveys@esds.ac.uk Tel: (0161) 275 1980 Jo Wathan CCSR, University of Manchester

2. Which surveys? General Household Survey/Continuous Household Survey Labour Force Survey Expenditure and Food Survey (previously the National Food Survey and Family Expenditure Survey) Family Resources Survey Time Use Survey British Social Attitudes/Scottish Social Attitudes/Northern Ireland Life & Times/Young Peoples Social Attitudes ONS Omnibus Survey Annual Population Survey National Travel Survey (NI Travel Survey) British Crime Survey/Scottish Crime Survey (NI Crime Survey) Health Survey for England/Wales/Scotland (NI Health and Social Well Being Survey) Survey of English Housing

3. Why use ESDS Government? To use the data to explore a subject for which results are otherwise unavailable To find out more about the data –What research has been and is being done? –Checking documentation –Keeping up to date –Asking questions

4. Using the data? All of these microdata are: Licenced – so you need to register. More detailed data may need approved researcher status Individual information akin to the sort of data you would collect if you were conducting your own survey Need to be analysed in an appropriate software package (like SPSS or Stata) Anonymised – may find some variables dropped or grouped

5. What are ESDS Government data like? Nationally representative survey microdata Continuous surveys – always up-to-date Large sample sizes (GHS 20K, HSE 10k) Cross-sectional (although the LFS has a 5- quarter panel element and new GHS has 4 yearly panel) Specialist topic surveys – more depth than the Census Identifying information is removed

6. Microdata

7. Practical research uses of the data Looking at change over time Look at sub-populations Using the flexibility of the data to look at alternative definitions Looking within households

8. Secondary analysis: change for subpopulations Marmot, M (2003)

9. Exploring definitions Moore and Shepherd (2007 British Journal of Criminology 47, 154ff) 2 dimensions of fear of crime

10. Using Hierarchy Higgins (unpublished work in progress) What affect does a parents fruit and veg in take have on their childrens? % of children who have 5 a day if their parents do

11. How have the data been used? Registered uses...and publications

12. Documentation Standard survey documentation Topic guides Variable searches Change over time maps for key variables

13. Keeping up to date Website contains news & information about consultations/data developments JISCmail esds-govsurveys list Newsletter User Meetings –GHS –Crime –LFS –Health Biennial Research Conference Other events

14. http://www.esds.ac.uk/government govsurveys@esds.ac.uk Tel: (0161) 275 1980