Poverty measurement

  • 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.

    Subjects: Income poverty, Inequality, Poverty measurement
    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.

    Subjects: Deprivation, Disability, Health, Inequality, Poverty measurement
    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 Donnison

    In 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:

    Subjects: Living standards, Poverty measurement
    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
    .
     
     

    Subjects: Living standards, Poverty measurement
    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.

    Subjects: Living standards, Poverty measurement
    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.

    Subjects: Poverty measurement
    Category: Townsend document
  • 14/04/2016

    Marginal notes from the original 1968/69 questionnaires

    Intro. blurb for summary

    Subjects: Poverty measurement
    Category: Townsend document
  • 07/03/2016

    Urban and rural poverty in Scotland

    Analysis of the PSE-UK survey results finds significant poverty in every kind of location in Scotland with poverty highest in large urban areas and lowest in remote towns though there is strong evidence that access to services is worse in more rural or remote locations.
    Subjects: Area deprivation, Debt, Deprivation, Income poverty, Low pay, Necessities, Poverty measurement, Scotland, Social exclusion, Social networks, Stigma, Transport
    Category: PSE Report
  • 05/02/2016

    Published output

    The PSE team have published the results of the Northern Ireland PSE survey research, the findings of the PSE UK qualitative research in Northern Ireland and the methodolgy and impact of the PSE community collaboration project in the following publications and journal papers.

    Books 'Child Poverty in Northern Ireland: Results from the Poverty and Social Exclusion Study' by Mike Tomlinson, Paddy Hillyard and Grace Kelly

    In 'Beneath the Surface: Child Poverty in Northern Ireland', (pp. 11-34,  Chapter 2) Belfast: Child Poverty Alliance (2014)

    Summary

    Subjects: Deprivation, Employment, Families, Northern Ireland, Poverty measurement
    Category:
  • 03/02/2016

    Briefings, PhD theses and other reports

    Are subjective measures of well being effective at identifying risk of material deprivation? What are they measuring? How should we take account of children's views when examining measures of child poverty? Read Grace Kelly and Gill Main's Phd theses drawing on the PSE research.

    Subjects: Child poverty, Deprivation, Homeless, Inequality, International comparisons, Living standards, Low-income households, Mental health, Necessities, Poverty measurement, Social exclusion
    Category:

Pages

Log in or register to post comments