Catalogue

Title details

SN:	5747
Title:	North East Referendum Campaign and Media Coverage, 2003-2005
Alternative title:	Qualitative Study of the North East Referendum Campaign and Media Coverage, 2004
Persistent identifier:	10.5255/UKDA-SN-5747-1
Depositor(s):	Tickell, A., University of Bristol. School of Geographical Sciences
Principal investigator(s):	Tickell, A., University of Bristol. School of Geographical Sciences Musson, S., University of Bristol. Department of Geography John, P., University of Manchester. Institute for Political and Economic Governance (IPEG)
Sponsor(s):	Economic and Social Research Council
Grant number:	RES-219-25-2001
Other acknowledgements:	Ricardo Balarezo (conducted the analysis of newspaper coverage)

Subject Categories

Abstract

The North East referendum of November 2004 asked voters whether an elected assembly should be created for the region. The referendum aimed to formalise New Labour's regional programme in England and to mirror the creation of elected assemblies in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London. Initially, referendums had been planned in three northern English regions, including the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and the North East. However, two referendums were cancelled by the government once it became apparent that defeat was almost inevitable. Only in the North East was a referendum held. In the event, voters in the North East rejected an elected assembly by almost four votes to one, effectively ending plans for elected regional government in England. This project investigated the activities of the official 'Yes' (supporting an elected assembly) and 'No' (opposing an elected assembly) campaigns in the North East. It set the referendum in the wider context of debates on English regionalism and spatial inequalities of power in the UK state. The interaction between the campaigns and the regional and national media was also researched. It was felt that the media played a key role in translating campaign arguments into issues of public interest. There were three distinct research elements in the project. The first was a programme of qualitative interviews with key actors in the campaigns and regional and national media. Second, an extensive media monitoring exercise was carried out, reviewing newspaper coverage of the referendum over two years leading up to November 2004. It used LexisNexis archives and the web archives of individual newspapers (source: www.lexisnexis.com, no copyright permissions necessary). These data were aggregated into summary information on media coverage. Third, quantitative analysis of elite social networks within the North East region was conducted using UCINET V software. This looked at the board membership of regional and local institutions of governance. A comparison of networks in the North East, North West, and the Yorkshire and the Humber regions was also conducted. ESRC award page.

Coverage, universe, methodology

Time period:	01 January 2003 - 01 May 2005
Dates of fieldwork:	October 2004, May 2005
Country:	England
Geography:	North East England North West England Yorkshire and The Humber
Spatial units:	Government Office Regions
Observation units:	Individuals Organisations
Kind of data:	Textual
Universe:	Subnational Official campaign groups in the North East referendum and regional and national media organisations
Time dimensions:	Cross-sectional (one-time) study
Sampling procedures:	Purposive selection/case studies
Number of units:	8 face-to-face interview transcripts, 9 face-to-face interview notes; 3 lists of regional network organisations; 1 database of newspaper coverage (2,870 cases)
Method of data collection:	Face-to-face interview; Compilation or synthesis of existing material
Weighting:	Not applicable

Keywords

ADMINISTRATIVE AREAS	ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURES	DECENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT
DEMOCRACY	DEVELOPMENT POLICY	DISCUSSIONS
ELECTION CAMPAIGNS	ENGLAND AND WALES	GROUP COMMUNICATION
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS	MASS MEDIA COVERAGE	NORTH WEST OF ENGLAND (REGION)
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS	PUBLIC DISCUSSION	PUBLIC POLITICAL INFLUENCE
REFERENDUMS	REGIONAL GOVERNMENT	REGIONAL IDENTITY
SOCIAL NETWORKS	YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER (REGION)

Administrative and access information

Date of release:
First edition:	28 January 2008
Copyright:	Copyright A. Tickell, P. John, and S. Musson
Access conditions:	The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions of access for further information.
Availability:	UK Data Service
Contact:	Get in touch

Documentation

Related studies and guides

Related studies:

Building Institutions in a Vacuum: Devolution and England’s South East, 2002 (SN 5037)