Kingsley Purdam

Disability in the UK: measuring equality

In this article we identify the key survey data for examining the issue of equality in the lives of disabled people in the UK. Such data is essential for assessing change in quality of life over time and for the evaluation of the impact of policy initiatives. For each data source we consider definitions, data collection, issue coverage, sample size and data access. It is evident that there is only limited survey data on the lives of disabled people in the UK. A number of national surveys include questions on disability, but many offer only limited coverage. There is a tendency to focus on the medical aspects of disability and a failure to clearly distinguish disability from other health issues. Moreover, disability definitions vary and sample sizes are often too small to compare differences by age, gender, ethnicity or locality. For effective policy development there is a need to identify and measure what leads to change in disabled peoples’ lives.

Hungry? Food Insecurity, Social Stigma and Embarrassment in the UK:

In the context of the economic recession and welfare reform in the UK there have been ongoing political debates regarding food insecurity. Food has an important role in defining people’s identities, yet the rapid growth in the number of food banks and food donation points in supermarkets and schools suggests a normalisation of food aid. Moreover, an estimated three million individuals are thought to be at risk of malnutrition in the UK. We examine: the discourse of food aid and the demonisation of those living in poverty, the scale of malnutrition, and the experiences of food bank users by drawing on survey data and case studies. Substantial numbers of people were constrained in their food choices, whilst food bank users had concerns about the social stigma of food aid. It is questionable whether the present policy approach is economically and politically efficient given the impact on people’s health and well-being.

Religion in the UK: An Overview of Equality Statistics and Evidence Gaps

Social survey data is essential to measuring equality, for the assessment of change over time, and to the evaluation of the impact of new policies. In this article we have identified and evaluated the statistical data and evidence on religion in the UK in relation to key policy areas, such as employment, housing, health, education, and criminal justice. For each data source, we consider definitions, data collection, coverage of issues, sample size, and data access. We examine the multi-faceted nature of religion and consider the links between religious and ethnic identities. We also outline models that can link religious identity to equality outcomes (and hence potentially allow the measurement of discrimination) and identify the evidence gaps. The UK has one of the most religiously diverse populations in the European Union, both in terms of diversity within Christianity and between different world religions. However, while religion is increasingly recognised, in both legal and policy terms, as an important equality issue, the data on the dynamics of religion in the UK are limited. The inclusion of a new question on religion in the 2001 Census in England, Scotland, and Wales is a major new source of data, but data are limited regarding the role and significance of religion in peoples everyday lives, particularly among ethnic minority populations. It is clear that there is a need for a far more comprehensive and rounded approach to data on religion in the UK, which takes account of its multi-dimensional nature. *This article is dedicated to the memory of one of the authors, Dr Alasdair Crockett, who died suddenly in September 2006. He is a sadly missed expert in social science.

Surveying sexual orientation: Asking difficult questions and providing useful answers

Social survey data is essential to measuring equality, to assessing change over time and to the evaluation of the impact of new policies. In this article, we identified and evaluated the survey evidence for assessing equality in relation to sexual orientation in the UK. We reviewed the available survey data in relation to key policy areas such as criminal justice, employment and health. Our analysis suggests that there is only limited survey evidence on the circumstances of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the UK. This poses major barriers for driving forward an agenda of social justice in relation to gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens. Robust research methodologies need to be developed and resourced in order to gain a representative picture of the socioeconomic circumstances of gay, lesbian and bisexual populations in the UK and to assess how they maybe changing over time.

Democracy in Practice: Muslims and the Labour Party at the Local Level

This article examines the nature of Muslim mobilisations in local party politics and the broader question of political representation in local democracy. Drawing on original qualitative and quantitative survey data, the Muslim presence in local politics in Britain is documented and the nature of some of the tensions concerning their membership of local Labour parties is examined. It is clear that some concerns over whether the strategies used by Muslims to secure political presence in local politics are legitimate but there are also incumbent problems of discrimination, exclusion and stereotyping. This research suggests that there is a general feeling among Muslim councillors that Muslims have been unfairly accused of illegal practices of recruitment and have been treated unfairly within their local parties to an extent that goes beyond simple party and candidate competition. The article argues that while there is a need to ensure that all participation is democratic the concerns of Muslims themselves and the discrimination they have encountered should be addressed.

A Case Study of the Impact of Statistical Disclosure Control on Data Quality in the Individual UK Samples of Anonymised Records

Microdata released for public use, such as the Samples of Anonymised Records, Labour Force Survey data, and longitudinal data, such as the Millennium Cohort Study, are subject to statistical disclosure procedures. These measures include data swapping, recoding, postrandomisation, and suppression. Considerable research has been conducted into the extent to which such measures protect respondent anonymity. However, the impact the measures have on the utility of the data is a neglected area of research. In this case study we examine the impact of standard statistical disclosure control measures on the utility of a sample census microdata set. We consulted data users about the impact of the variable recoding on the usefulness of the data and repeated published analyses on a file that had been subjected to perturbative disclosure control measures. It was found that disclosure control measures had a significant impact on the usability of the data (analytical completeness) and on the accuracy of the data in relation to the findings reached when the data were used in analyses (analytical validity). The findings should be of interest to those involved in statistical disclosure control and to data users themselves. Although further research is required in this area, we conclude that data quality assessment should be a central part of disclosure control practice and that universal standards for the relationship between disclosure control and data utility should be developed.

Citizen social science and citizen data? Methodological and ethical challenges for social research

This article examines the value of observation data collected by volunteers as they go about their daily activities. Many citizens are already creating digital data archives of their own lives through online activity including via social media communication. Citizens now have the potential to be the default fieldworkers of their own lives. This can be extended to examine the value of citizens systematically collecting data on the world around them for social science research. This pilot observation study required volunteers to follow a protocol and record the number of people seen begging. The study produced important findings on begging which informed a larger research project. However, challenging methodological and ethical issues are raised concerning the observation of public life. Even so, it is clear there is potential for what can be termed ‘citizen social science’, including continuous data collection where volunteers collaborate in social science research and observe and record data as they go about their daily lives. This approach to the way evidence can be collected and integrated into research has implications for the interfaces between being a citizen, knowledge processes and the state and presents an opportunity for a renewed idea of emancipatory social science.

Data environment analysis and the key variable mapping system

It is now generally accepted that the measurement of statistical disclosure risk should be carried out with reference to the data environment into which a proposed dataset is to be released. This is normally considered through the development of intrusion or attack scenarios. Elliot and Dales (1999) scheme set out a general set of principles for a scenario analysis, the output of which was a set of key variables. In this paper we outline an empirically based method, Data Environment Analysis which operationalises these ideas and a prototype tool the Key Variable Mapping System which has been designed to produce lists of key variables, with much more precise specification than was previously possible.

Jobs deficits, neighbourhood effects, and ethnic penalties: the geography of ethnic-labour-market inequality

The reduction of inequalities in the labour market both between ethnic groups and between local areas indicates improved access to jobs because a diverse workforce is socially and economically desirable. We construct and analyse a unique evidence base of the labour-market circumstances at the neighbourhood level. We use the 2001 Census data for England and Wales to examine the impact of age, sex, birthplace, and educational qualifications on the employment of ethnic minorities nationally. We compute locally expected employment on the basis of these relationships and local characteristics, and compare it with locally observed employment. Our analysis demonstrates that 1.1 million new jobs are required to bring every ethnic group in every locality up to the average England and Wales employment rate. National ethnic-group differences account for most of this local job deficit; local variation in demographic composition and human capital account for a smaller proportion of the jobs deficit. Residual neighbourhood effects have both a geography common to each ethnic group (for example, a gradient of higher jobs deficits in the Midlands, the North of England, and Wales), and some group-specific characteristics (for example, more favourable outcomes for Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups in the North than might have been expected). The findings and approach allow targeting employment policies geographically and thematically. In addition, the on-line evidence base (http://asp.ccsr.ac.uk/dwp) is a public resource which can be used to investigate local outcomes and to prioritise remedial action.

The regulation of the personal - Individual data use and identity in the UK

The growth in the collection of individual level data and its use as a means of accessing services, tackling crime, informing policy making and marketing products is changing the nature of identity. As more information is collected, each of us leave larger ‘identity footprints’ in a multitude of contexts. Though the streets we live in may be less personally connected, neighbours, colleagues, employers, service providers and the state are all able to know more about who we are and what we do. Consequently, the ways in which we see others and ourselves is changing. Recent legislation specifies a number of good practices in information handling but implicitly accepts the construction and use of massive individual-level record-keeping systems. There is only limited regulation of the use and monitoring of the accuracy of the information held on individual-level databases. Moreover, by linking data and using knowledge discovery techniques it is possible to impute additional information. Using an innovative form field analysis methodology, this article provides an insight into the scope of information gathering in the UK and considers its impact on identity formation. It argues that there is a pressing need for a wider public and academic debate about the impact of the growth in the use of individual level data.The growth in the collection of individual level data and its use as a means of accessing services, tackling crime, informing policy making and marketing products is changing the nature of identity. As more information is collected, each of us leave larger ‘identity footprints’ in a multitude of contexts. Though the streets we live in may be less personally connected, neighbours, colleagues, employers, service providers and the state are all able to know more about who we are and what we do. Consequently, the ways in which we see others and ourselves is changing. Recent legislation specifies a number of good practices in information handling but implicitly accepts the construction and use of massive individual-level record-keeping systems. There is only limited regulation of the use and monitoring of the accuracy of the information held on individual-level databases. Moreover, by linking data and using knowledge discovery techniques it is possible to impute additional information. Using an innovative form...