The current cost of living is pushing more people into poverty, with almost 68% of low income...
Townsend document
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30/08/2017
Interviews with fieldworkers: 2
The interviews for the 'Poverty in the UK' 1968/69 survey were undertaken by fieldworkers spread across the UK. A number of these fieldworkers have been tracked down and interviewed about their recollections of working on the survey. These video interviews throw light onto how these fieldworkers were recruited and trained, how they conducted the interviews on the ground and the problems they encountered and the impact this experience had on them at the time. Below you will find interviews with Ian McCannah, Annie Neligan and Una Widdett.
Ian McCannahIan McCannah was studying at the LSE and was recruited to conduct interviews as a summer job and covered Bristol, Yeovil and Oswestry. His video interview is in three parts:
Category: Townsend document -
23/01/2017
Interviews with fieldworkers: 1
The interviews for the 'Poverty in the UK' 1968/69 survey were undertaken by fieldworkers spread across the UK. A number of these fieldworkers have been tracked down and interviewed about their recollections of working on the survey. These video interviews throw light onto how these fieldworkers were recruited and trained, how they conducted the interviews on the ground and the problems they encountered and the impact this experience had on them at the time. Below you will find interviews with Angela Avens, Andrea Cordani and Morag Macdonal and Deidre Forsyth.
Angela AvensAngela Avens was one of the main interviewers and covered the South West of England. Her video interview is in three parts:
Category: Townsend document -
06/12/2016
Research officers: interviews
There were four research officers who formed, along with Peter Townsend and Brian Abel-Smith, the core of the initial research team: Hilary Land (at the LSE), Denis Marsden, John Veit-Wilson and Adrian Sinfield (at the University of Essex). These research officers conducted the pilot studies and were involved in the planning of the main survey. Below you will find interviews with Hilary Land, John Veit-Wilson and Adrian Sinfield. Dennis Marsden died in 2009 after a long academic career, in the course of which he undertook a number of major and pioneering qualitative studies on education and the working-class, lone mothers, unemployment, and on couples and intimacy.
Category: Townsend document -
14/11/2016
Other colleagues: interviews
Below you will find interviews with David Piachaud and Frank Field who, though not involved in the Townsend study, were closely involved in poverty research or campaigns at that time.
Professor David PiachaudDavid Piachaud worked on child poverty at the Department of Health and Social Security at the time of the study. After the publication of Townsend's book in 1979, Piachaud raised a number of criticism of the method which influenced subsequent surveys, notably the Breadline Britain survey of 1983 and, in turn, the Poverty and Social Exclusion surveys. He is now Professor of Social Policy at the LSE. His interview is in three parts:
Category: Townsend document -
19/08/2016
The video interviews: an overview
Seventeen people who were either involved in the 1968/69 'Poverty in the UK' survey itself or in closely related work have been interviewed for the Townsend archive. These included five members of the original research team, eight fieldworkers, and five academics colleagues, government advisors or campaigners. These interviews are currently being uploaded to the website and will be accessible through the left hand menu.
Many of those involved in the 1968/69 research project went on to influential academic careers in social policy and other related areas. Many also became closely involved in various campaigns to tackle, for examples, child poverty, low pay, gender equality, and disability. In these interviews, they look back over this period and reflect on the impact, or otherwise, of poverty research on the policy and on lessons learnt.
Category: Townsend document -
21/07/2016
Original notes and documents from the 'Poverty in UK' study
Below you can access a variety of documents relating to the 1968/69 'Poverty in the UK' research survey and for a detailed study of large families that was part of this overall project. The documents also cover material produced for Peter Townsend's book of the survey, Poverty in the UK (1979). They cover research notes, survey design, correspondence, letters and chapter drafts for the Townsend book.
These documents provide an insight into the thinking that lay behind the study, the refinement of the research process as the study progressed, and the discussions - and, at times, disagreements - that surrounded it.
Category: Townsend document -
14/07/2016
Academic colleagues: interviews
David Donnison and Steve Winyard, were academic colleagues of the 1968/69 Poverty in the United Kingdom research team at the time of the study. You can watch their itnerviews below.
Professor David DonnisonIn 1968, Donnison was an academic at the London School of Economics and colleague of Peter Townsend and Brian Abel-Smith. In 1969, he went on to work at the research think-tank, The Centre for Environmental Studies, and then, in 1975, became Chair of the Supplementary Benefits Commission. In 1980, he moved to Glasgow University where he is now an Emeritus Professor in Urban Studies. In this interivew, he reflects back on the impact of social science research over the last fifty years. His interview is in six parts:
Category: Townsend document -
14/07/2016
Interviews: PinUK survey fieldworkers
The ‘Poverty in the UK: advancing paradata analysis and open access’ research study traced and video-interviewed 8 of the field interviewers for the 1968-69 Townsend Poverty in the UK survey: Angela Avens, Andrea Cordani, Deidre Forsyth, Morag Macdonald, Ian NcCannah, Annie Neligan, Fred Twine and Una Widdett.
Some of these field workers were students doing the work as a summer job, others were more experienced research interviewing. These interviews provides unparalleled insight into the conduct of the survey and the role of the field worker.
The interviews were conducted by Karen Bell (university of Bristol) and Heather Elliot (Institute of Education, UCL) for the ‘Poverty in the UK: advancing paradata analysis and open access’ study
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Category: Townsend document -
14/07/2016
Interviews: PinUK survey researchers
The research team for the Poverty in the UK survey of 1968-69 were based at the University of Essex and the London School of Economics. The project was set up by Peter Townsend and Brian Abel-Smith who left part way through the project to become a Senior Advisor at the Department of Health and Social Security.
There were three research officers: Hilary Land, Dennis Marsden and John Veit-Wilson who were joined by Adrian Sinfield. Below you can watch interviews with the three surviving members of this core team:
Hilary Land, currenly Emeritus Professor of Family Policy and Child Welfare, University of Bristol
John Veit-Wilson, currenly Emeritus professor Sociology, Newcastle University
Adrian Sinfield, currently Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, University of Edinburgh.
Category: Townsend document -
23/06/2016
The paradata research project
What is paradata?Paradata is generally seen as the by-products of social research, usually referring to survey research. It relates to two types of paradata:
‘macro paradata’ which covers the length of interviews, how long it took to arrange the interview and the like, and ‘micro paradata’ which refers to more qualitative comments and perceptions found, for example, in the marginal notes on a survey booklet. For examples of notes on the 1968/69 Townsend survey go to Marginal notes on the questionnaires.Paradata can provide a wealth of insights into both the topic of the survey and the methods used to conduct it. Its examination can help improve the quality of data collection.
Category: Townsend document
