British Social Attitudes: The 24th Report(British Social Attitudes Survey Series)

'…British Social Attitudes remains a beacon of excellence. It has adapted to the times…providing a rich and textured guide to who we think we are, what we think and how that has changed' - Financial Times '…an indispensable tool not just for governments, but also for modern citizens to understand their fellows, and themselves better' - The Times Higher Education Supplement '…shows what the British people really think, as opposed to what journalists and politicians like to pretend they think' - John Pilger The annual British Social Attitudes survey is carried out by Britain's largest independent social research organisation, the National Centre for Social Research. It provides an indispensable guide to political and social issues in contemporary Britain. This 24th Report summarises and interprets data from the most recent nationwide survey, as well as drawing invaluable comparisons with the findings of previous years to provide a richer picture and deeper understanding of changing British social values. The British Social Attitudes survey report is essential reading for anyone seeking a guide to the topical issues and debates of today or engaged in contemporary social and political research. CONTENTS: 1. New families? Tradition and change in modern relationships - Simon Duncan and Miranda Phillips 2. Cohabitation and the law: myths, money and the media - Anne Barlow, Carole Burgoyne, Elizabeth Clery and Janet Smithson 3. Who does the housework? The division of labour within the home - Rosemary Crompton and Clare Lyonette 4. Talking the talk: national identity in England and Scotland - Frank Bechhofer and David McCrone 5. Is there still a public service ethos? - Peter John and Mark Johnson 6. Prejudice and the workplace - Chris Creegan and Chloe Robinson 7. Car use and climate change: do we practise what we preach? - Stephen Stradling, Jillian Anable, Tracy Anderson and Alexandra Cronberg 8. Where have all the readers gone? Popular newspapers and Britain's political health - John Curtice and Ann Mair 9. What makes a good citizen? Citizenship across the democratic world - Paul F Whiteley 10. The role of government: public values and party politics - Robert Johns and Stephen Padgett 11. Trends in sympathy for the poor - Peter Taylor-Gooby and Rose Martin

About the Author :
Alison joined NatCen in 1991, after completing an M.Phil. in Sociology at Nuffield College, Oxford. Her core areas of research are social, political and moral attitudes and values. As Head of Society and Social Change, Alison manages the team responsible for the British Social Attitudes Survey series. These annual surveys focus on people's attitudes towards a wide range of issues, and the results form the basis of an annual book, published by Sage. Alison is closely involved with the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), a cross-national study of social attitudes, and is the ESRC-funded UK Co-ordinator for the 2002 to 2012 rounds of the European Social Survey. She makes regular radio and television contributions concerning social trends, and was a member of the 2003 Fabian Society Commission on the Future of the Monarchy. John Curtice is a Research Consultant at the Scottish Centre for Social Research, Deputy Director of CREST, and Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University. Katarina Thomson is a freelance editor and a former Research Director at NatCen Miranda works on a number of different attitudinal surveys, including British Social Attitudes - NatCen's longest-running survey. Miranda particularly enjoys designing questions and meeting NatCen's interviewers to brief them on that year's survey. She is also an editor of the annual report for the survey, and regularly gives interviews to journalists to explain the survey's findings. Miranda's particular interests include attitudes towards relationships and the family; and attitudes about the welfare system. Elizabeth Clery is Senior Researcher at NatCen and Co-Director of the British Social Attitudes survey series