Citizenship Survey - Major studies
Crime and law enforcement - Law, crime and legal systems
Community and urban studies - Society and culture
Race relations - Society and culture
Charities, voluntary organisations and voluntary work - Social welfare policy and systems
The Citizenship Survey (known in the field as the Communities Study) ran from 2001 to 2010-2011. It began as the 'Home Office Citizenship Survey' (HOCS) before the responsibility moved to the new Communities and Local Government department (DCLG) in May 2006. The survey provided an evidence base for the work of DCLG, principally on the issues of community cohesion, civic engagement, race and faith, and volunteering. The survey was used extensively for developing policy and for performance measurement. It was also used more widely, by other government departments and external stakeholders to help inform their work around the issues covered in the survey.
The survey was conducted on a biennial basis in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007-2008. It moved to a continuous design in 2007 which means that data became available on a quarterly basis from April 2007. Quarter one data were collected between April and June; quarter two between July and September; quarter three between October and December and quarter four between January and March. Once collection for the four quarters was completed, a full aggregated dataset was made available, and the larger sample size allowed more detailed analysis.
In January 2011, the DCLG announced that the Citizenship Survey was to close. As part of the drive to deliver cost savings across government and to reduce the fiscal deficit, research budgets were closely scrutinised to identify where savings can be made. For this reason, and the belief that priority data from this survey could either be dropped; collected less frequently; or collected via other means, the survey was cancelled. Fieldwork concluded on 31 March 2011, followed by publication of reports in the months after analysis of that data.
Further information about the survey, including links to publications, can be found on the National Archives webarchive page for the Citizenship Survey. The Consultation outcome: the future of the citizenship survey statement can be viewed on the gov.uk website.
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The 2001 Citizenship Survey delivers information to underpin policies on:
active citizenship;
racial prejudice and discrimination;
people and their neighbourhoods;
active community participation; and
family networks and parenting.
The 2001 survey included a total sample of over 15,000 people aged 16 and over in England and Wales. This comprised a 10,000+ core sample and minority ethnic boost of 5,000+ people aged 16 and over. The minority ethnic boost was achieved through a combination of focussed enumeration and over sampling in high minority ethnic density areas.
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Main Topics:
The 2001 Citizenship Survey questionnaire comprised four modules, each focusing on particular Home Office policy responsibilities:
family policy, including: household compositions, interaction with non-resident children, family networks and sources of parenting advice and information.
active communities and social capital, including: neighbourliness, civic participation, informal and formal volunteering, employee volunteering, receipt of voluntary help.
race equality and prejudice, including: perceptions of race equality and prejudice, identity, religion, language.
rights and responsibilities, including: self-defined rights and responsibilities, balancing rights and responsibilities.
The demographics module includes standard demographics, and also media exposure and access to transport.
Standard Measures
The questionnaire used established questions where practical and adapted standard questions where policy requirements mean it was not possible to use standard questions, for example:
demographics: most are taken from the ONS harmonised booklets.
family relationships: adapted from the GHS family relationship grid,
hierarchy of community participation: adapted from the method used in the National Survey of Voluntary Activity, 1997 (see Davis Smith, 1998) - this study is held at the UK Data Archive under SN:3931.
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Dates of fieldwork:
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20 March 2001, 07 October 2001 |
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Country:
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England and Wales
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Spatial units:
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No spatial unit
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Observation units:
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Individuals
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Kind of data:
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Numeric
Alpha-numeric
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Universe:
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National
Nationally representative sample of adults aged 16+, and a boost sample of minority ethnic adults aged 16+, in England and Wales, during 2001
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Time dimensions:
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Repeated cross-sectional study
Previously every two years since 2001. Since 2007, the survey has moved to a continuous design.
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Sampling procedures:
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Multi-stage stratified random sample
The survey is conducted with a core, nationally representative, sample, plus a minority ethnic boost sample, achieved through direct screening and focused enumeration.
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Number of units:
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Main sample: target 10,000, achieved 10,015. Minority ethnic boost sample: target 5,000, achieved 5,509
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Method of data collection:
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Face-to-face interview
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Weighting:
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Weighting used. See documentation for details.
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Links to publications can be found on the National Archives webarchive page for the Citizenship Survey. The Consultation outcome: the future of the citizenship survey statement can be viewed on the gov.uk website.
Prime, D., Zimmeck, M. and Zurawan, A. (2002) Active communities: initial findings from the 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey, London: Home Office. Retrieved December 20, 2012 from http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110218135832/http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/acuactcomm.pdf (webarchive link)
Farmer, C. (2005) 2003 Home Office Citizenship Survey: top-level findings from the children's and young people's survey, London: Home Office/DfES.
Department for Education (2011) Citizenship Survey young person module: technical report for pilot study, Research Report DFE-RR094A. retrieved December 20, 2012, from https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR094A
