Understanding Society is the largest household panel study of its kind and one of the UK’s leading data collections. The Study was launched in 2009 and we are funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and group of government departments. As one of the largest investments by the ESRC, Understanding Society is monitored and evaluated regularly by our funders to ensure that the Study is meeting its agreed targets. In 2022 the ESRC commissioned an independent evaluation of Understanding Society from CFE Research.
What do users of Understanding Society think of the dataset?
Stakeholders using the Study welcomed Understanding Society’s longitudinal structure, its household focus, wide content coverage and the underlying data quality. The large sample size and survey design are important aspects of the quality of the Study. The sample size also allows researchers to analyse population sub-groups who are difficult to find in other surveys. Data users also praised the data structure, which enable sophisticated analysis, particularly on the causes of social change. The large suite of support and learning materials available to help data users navigate the dataset was also commended.
What impact does Understanding Society data have?
The evaluation found Understanding Society being used in a number of impactful ways, including driving social research, informing policy decisions, supporting third sector campaigns, developing scientific methods and facilitating public debate. You can read more about the impact of the Study on our website.
What could we do better?
At Understanding Society we are always looking for ways to improve the dataset and to better support our data users. The evaluation identified some areas where we could do further work. The complexity of the dataset was highlighted as an issue for some data users, particularly non-academic users and those who use the dataset sporadically. To help these users our User Support team is developing a new online ‘pathway’ for new users, taking them step-by-step through the information they need to start using the dataset. We are also developing an online training course for non-academic data users, introducing them to household panel data and giving them tools to use the dataset in their analysis.
The evaluation also identified that variables associated with rapidly evolving subjects, like environmental issues or travel behaviour, can be problematic for longitudinal analysis. To help researchers working in these fast-changing areas, we are improving our variable notes, so researchers can more easily see where survey content has been changed. We are also consulting with topic experts and reviewing content areas, where we think content may be becoming out of date. This year we reviewed our environmental questions – you can read the outcome of this review in this Working Paper.
The ESRC commented on the evaluation, “The report confirms Understanding Society’s status as one of ESRC’s leading investments, showing that users are overwhelming positive about the survey and value it extremely highly. It has driven a wide range of research outputs, many of which would have been weaker or impossible without the Study. It has catalysed and underpinned changes impacting people’s lives, informing policy decisions, supporting third sector campaigns and facilitating public debate of timely issues.”
You can read more about the work of Understanding Society in our 2021 Annual Report.
