FAQ

Who collects the information? Who are the fieldwork agencies?

The collection of information is subcontracted to a fieldwork agency. Until 2014 (Waves 1-5) it was NatCen Social Research, for Waves 6-8 it was Kantar Public. For the current Waves 9 -11 contract, the fieldwork is conducted by Kantar Public, with part of the interviewing being done by NatCen. You can read more about the interview process in the Interview Process section of the Main Survey User Guide.

What else is Understanding Society doing?

a man kneels on an armchair as he hoovers its upholstery

Unpaid work – the missing link in the gender gap

Long read: unpaid work may affect health through its impact on employment

19 Nov 2025

Photo of family walking their dog in the countryside

Children’s worries include good grades and rising prices

Children’s average happiness is lower across six aspects of life in 2022/23 compared to 2009/10

30 Oct 2025

Calendar Year 2023 data now available

The latest release of our Calendar Year datasets can now be accessed via the UK Data Service.

22 Oct 2025

Professor Annette Jäckle debates survey methods on BBC Radio 4

The Deputy Director of Understanding Society, Professor Annette Jäckle, has featured on a BBC Radio 4 programme to unpick the reality behind a recent headline about young people.

15 Oct 2025

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ESRC Institute for Social and Economic Research University of Essex

The Economic and Social Research Council is the primary funder of the study
The Study is led by a team at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex.