The surprising effect of the minimum wage
Recipients become more tolerant of wage inequality, more likely to vote Conservative
Blog
A regular look at research into life in the UK, and how our Study works. To ask a question, or contribute, please email us.
Ethnic minorities experience lower job quality
Analysis shows minorities have less control over their work
Do government policies work and for whom? How can we find out?
Longitudinal data can help to evaluate policies, and see unintended consequences
The ‘class ceiling’
Why do people from working class backgrounds earn less than people with the same qualifications from advantaged backgrounds?
Special Licence data – getting your application right first time
A guide to help complete an application and avoid common mistakes
How social class influences family breakdown
Intergenerational relationship patterns are shaped by socio-economic status
Can losing a job mean losing a pregnancy?
…and could there be implications for government policy?
Why a good Ofsted report can be bad for GCSE results
How do parents react to news about school quality?
What do we know about social media?
Long read: what effect is it really having?
Who answers panel surveys every time, and who doesn’t?
Understanding attrition helps make sure our sample is representative
‘PEACH’ data – a single source on child development information
An introduction to the pregnancy and early childhood file
Working from home – what does it mean for women?
Does flexible working reinforce gender roles?
Inconsistent answers on health – do they matter?
Does survey measurement matter for measuring inequality?
Are historic buildings, parks and gardens good for society?
Can heritage build social capital?
Has NHS staff ‘burnout’ got worse?
Satisfaction and attrition over the past decade in UK healthcare
Do immigrants’ wages catch up with natives’?
What’s the impact of different kinds of ‘human capital’?
Mental health: how living in the city and country compare
Is it better to live in a city or in the countryside?
How multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and arthritis affect mental health
New papers shed light on range of common diseases and their effects on wellbeing
Serious mental illness, socio-economic status, and genetics
Are psychiatric disorders inherited, linked to our environment – or both?
Health inequalities and the class system
What can we learn by analysing different theories of social class?
Automatic pension enrolment narrows mental health savings gap
People with poor mental health were less likely to save for retirement
We need a long-term evaluation culture
...and longitudinal data can help
Climate change: what do we think, and what are we doing?
Research can tell us how we respond – and which policies might work best
COVID vaccines don’t just benefit physical health
Research using Understanding Society shows they improve mental health too
Does university make you liberal?
…or are liberal people more likely to go to university?
Is telephone triage helping patients with more than one condition?
Research looks at how calling for a GP appointment affects different groups
What are the arts, culture and sport worth?
Estimating economic value can inform decisions on public funding
Generation rent-forever?
Long read: what do we know about the housing crisis, and what can be done?
Why we cite
Citation gives people credit, ensures accuracy, and protects against fraud
Supercalifragilisticexpialid… omics
Long read: what you need to know about biodata – and its tenuous link with Julie Andrews
Understanding Society and health: why social research needs biomarkers
Long read: showcasing our biological data
Does outside space have to be green?
Are hard spaces such as market squares good for wellbeing, too?