Take part in User Research for the Integrated Data Service
The research team building the Integrated Data Service (IDS) are looking for volunteers to join their research panel. The ONS needs data users to help test and build the IDS, which will enable faster and more efficient analysis through streamlined data access processes and departmental collaboration – but we need your help!
Being part of the research panel will give you opportunity to try early prototypes and put them to the test.
If you want to find out more you can email IDP.User.Research@ons.gov.uk
If you would like to be involved in our research panel please complete the following survey below.
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Safe Room announcement
At the end of September, as part of the wider consolidation of the Civil Service estate, ONS will be moving from their current central London office location in Drummond Gate, into a consolidated government owned facility in Marsham Street.
Due to the security and operational constraints associated with this process, the current SRS Safe Room facility at Drummond Gate will not be moving to Marsham Street and will be decommissioned at its current location. ONS are currently in the process of contacting the researchers and organisations who are routinely using Drummond Gate Safe Room to advise on continued connectivity to the SRS.
SRS Safe Rooms continue to be available in Newport and Titchfield, and all rooms are now operating at full capacity following the lifting of Covid restrictions. The SafePod Network provides another access option, including at two locations in London.
We will provide further updates on the closure of the Drummond Gate Safe Room in due course. Please email srs.customer.support@ons.gov.uk should you have any further questions.
Annual User Experience Survey results – your views on collaborating, capability, and code sharing
This week we focus on what you told us about opportunities to collaborate, build capability and share your code when using the SRS.
It was positive to see the number of respondents naming sectors where they had experienced collaboration, especially within academia, central government and local or regional government.
However, comments noted the difficulty in actively collaborating due to the closed secure working environment. This is one of the challenges of working with controlled data, and users told us how synthetic data would be helpful to 'see' data before gaining access to the SRS. We are pleased to announce that work is being undertaken within ONS, looking to create synthetic data to help researchers plan projects.
When it came to the SRS enabling you to enhance capability or skills, ‘Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) awareness’, ‘providing new knowledge/statistics’ and ‘data management’. 68% of respondents ticked 'Enhanced SDC awareness', which highlights the skills obtained from putting the Secure Researcher Training (SRT) programme on creating publication outputs into practice.
We also asked about how you shared your code from your research. Half of those responding to the survey had not shared code through the SRS, a third had shared informally with colleagues, and less than 2% had submitted code to a journal or published using Git Hub or another platform. Code sharing was more prevalent for government analysis than for academic researchers.
We have a statistical code sharing pilot underway that is looking to create ways of sharing cleared code within the SRS, so that future users can benefit from existing researchers’ data management work and useful derivations, where they choose to. Part of this work will see us creating a user guide, coding templates and running drop-in sessions on how to write and share your SRS code
Remote Access to the SRS via Assured Organisational Connectivity
At the start of the pandemic, a temporary measure was introduced which allowed accredited researchers working for an institution with an Assured Organisational Connectivity (AOC) agreement in place to access the SRS from home, provided certain conditions were met. This has operated successfully for more than two years, enabling important research to take place whilst Covid restrictions were in place. Following the easing of restrictions, ONS have decided that these arrangements can now continue on a permanent basis where data owners agree to allow AOC-based access to their data from home. Remote access from home will continue to be supported by appropriate operational measures, although these will be reviewed to ensure that they are fit for purpose as we move to a permanent basis. Any relevant changes to procedure will be communicated in due course.
Ethics self-assessment form
We’d like to inform you of a change to the ethics self-assessment form submitted with project applications. To make it easier for you to complete, we will now provide you with a form that has some sections pre-filled with standard wording that meet the ethics requirements of the Digital Economy Act 2017. The pre-filled form will soon be available to download in the Research Accreditation Service (RAS) but a member of the SRS Project Applications team may email you with the pre-filled form during the project application process if an older version of the form is submitted. If you have any questions, please contact SRS.Project.Applications@ons.gov.uk.
Ethics Guidance Spotlight Series: Considering Public Good in Research and Statistics
Centre for Applied Data Ethics – UK Statistics Authority
Articulating the value of your work can be challenging, so our ethics guidance on considering public good in research and statistics aims to support researchers to communicate how their project serves the public good. An important element that the guidance addresses is balancing the positive impact of projects with any potential risks, and how to mitigate these. The guidance’s high-level checklist can be used to help identify the benefits and risks associated with your proposed project, and this additional resource compliments the UK Statistics Authority’s ethics self-assessment tool.
For more information on the benefit of this guidance, take a look at this blog written by Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation at the UK Statistics Authority and head of the Office for Statistics Regulation. We hope that you find the guidance valuable and if you have any feedback, particularly on how it has supported the work that you do, please get in touch at data.ethics@statistics.gov.uk!
This has been the first instalment of our Ethics Guidance Spotlight Series. In next month’s newsletter, we will be highlighting our guidance on the ethical considerations related to the inclusivity of data for research and statistics, so do keep an eye out for that! We have a range of other practical and applied data ethics guidance documents and, if there are any other topics that you would like to see guidance on, please suggest them to the UKSA.
Magistrates and Crown Court - Fellowship Showcase
Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) recently hosted the Magistrates’ and Crown Court Fellowship Showcase event in London. This was an opportunity to celebrate the first cohort of ADR UK-funded Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data First Fellows and explore the implications of their work for policy and practice. The four Fellows presented their research findings to a range of stakeholders from the third sector, other researchers and representatives from ADR UK, ONS and MoJ.
Dr Kitty Lymperopoulou and Dr Angela Sorsby are facilitating an online workshop on 14th September, aiming to introduce participants to using the Data First magistrates’ and Crown Court datasets to conduct ethnicity research. For further information including how to register, please see: Using the Data First criminal justice datasets in ethnicity research - ADR UK
Growing up in England dataset
The fully linked Growing Up in England (GUIE) dataset is available in the SRS for accredited researchers.
This data helps to fill a crucial evidence gap in information about the lives of vulnerable children and the impact on their educational attainment. The dataset can be found on the SRS Metadata Catalogue and you can read more about the potential of this dataset in the ADR UK news story.
ADR UK Research Fellows: Grading and Admissions Data for England
ADR UK is funding a 12-month Research Fellowship to conduct analysis using the newly available Grading and Admissions Data for England (GRADE).
ADR UK Research Fellow Dr Konstantina Maragkou will use key data about centre assessment grades and calculated grades in 2020, when assessment practices were changed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Research using this de-identified data has the potential to generate better understanding of the impact of these assessment policies on students and schools.
To find out more, please visit the ADR UK Website.
New datasets in the SRS
The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) Data Archive
YEF is an independent charity that funds, supports, and evaluates programmes and local partnerships working with 10-14 year olds in England and Wales to find out what works to prevent youth crime and violent offending. The first dataset of the YEF data archive is now available to all accredited researchers, a dataset designed to evaluate the DARE25 programme. DARE25 aims to help young people take safer and healthier choices and reduce offending behaviours. The DARE25 evaluation data contains pupil scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and on the Problem Behaviour Frequency Scale.
Visit the YEF website to find out more and view on the Metadata Catalogue.
Bank of England’s Decisional Maker Panel Survey Data (DMP)
The DMP is a survey of UK businesses that was set up in August 2016 by the Bank of England in collaboration with Stanford University and the University of Nottingham. Survey data focus on businesses’ expectations and uncertainty, particularly in relation to Covid-19 and Brexit. It covers UK companies operating in a broad range of industries and is designed to be representative of the population of UK businesses. Find out more https://decisionmakerpanel.co.uk/ and on the Metadata Catalogue
Covid-19 Infection Survey linked to NHS Test and Trace Extract for Wider Access:
This linked dataset contains Covid-19 Infection Survey (CIS) ID's and linked Test and Trace data from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). This can be used to link to the main CIS attributes dataset, which includes test results from nose and throat swabs and antibody test results and key demographic information by sub-regions. This linkage is intended to increase the amount of testing information available from people who have responded to the Covid-19 Infection Survey. Find out more on the Metadata Catalogue.
Covid-19 Schools Infection Survey Data (SIS):
This survey carried out tests in school in England for COVID-19 infection and antibodies. The survey aimed to investigate the prevalence of COVID-19 infection and presence of antibodies to Covid-19 among pupils and staff in sample primary and secondary schools in England. Repeated surveys were carried out to collect risk factor information together with virus and antibody samples in a cohort of pupils and staff. Find out more on the Metadata Catalogue.
Dataset of the Month
The Department for Transport’s National Travel Survey (NTS) is an annual household survey designed to monitor long-term trends in personal travel and to inform policy. The survey collects information on how, why, when and where people travel as well as factors affecting travel (e.g., car availability and holding a driving licence).
The survey covers travel by people in all age groups, including children and has a sample size of 13,000 households in England. Approximately 16,000 individuals across 7,000 households participate in the survey in a typical year.
The NTS is carried out by NatCen who conduct face-to-face interviews with respondents who are also asked to complete a 7-day travel diary. This enables travel patterns to be linked with individual characteristics.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a substantial impact on travel trends in 2020 and has affected the operation of the survey. Fieldwork for the NTS 2020 survey was impacted by the coronavirus restrictions with interviews being paused in March, then conducted via telephone instead of face-to-face from May. This resulted in a reduction of more than a half of the response rate to the survey compared to previous years (6,239 individuals in 2020 compared to 14,356 individuals in 2019).
If you want to access the National Travel Survey dataset within the ONS SRS, please contact the SRS Customer Support team: srs.customer.support@ons.gov.uk
Case Study of the Month
Does better job accessibility help people gain employment? The role of public transport in Great Britain
This study uses micro-level analysis to establish whether improving access to employment opportunities by public transport helps people gain employment and increase social mobility. This work is of particular use for public policy, as it provides targeted recommendations for public transport operations and subsidies. The findings of this project were circulated to local authorities and will be considered when reviewing bus services and development proposals.
To find out more, please visit the ADR UK website.
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