Research Capability 2022
Research Capability 2022 is only three weeks away, with limited spaces available. We are pleased to announce this year's Keynote Speaker's:
Natalie Perera, Chief Executive Education Policy Institute
The importance of research in public policy
This session will give examples of how innovative use of data can be, and has been, used to understand better the strengths and weaknesses of education policies and to improve policy-making at a national level. It will also talk about some of the challenges, from a user perspective, in accessing timely data and strategies that have helped to overcome those challenges.
Professor Paul Boyle, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, Chair of UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) Research Accreditation Panel.
Public data for public good: democratic accountability and the UK's data access ecosystem
There is a wealth of public data available across different public domains that has significant potential to inform positive change within UK society and the economy. Good strides have been taken to improve access to these data for public good research, but significant challenges still exist which need to be addressed before the potential of public data in the UK is really harnessed. We have a responsibility to do better.
Annual User Survey results - your views on engagement
In our previous two newsletters, we have updated on the results of our annual user survey. The final area of focus this year is on our engagement with you as users of the SRS. We asked several questions about the satisfaction with, and quality of, our engagement activities. Overall response was positive and most were ‘Satisfied’ or ‘Very Satisfied’ with many of our main engagement channels, however open text responses showed apathy in some areas we have now improved.
Respondents told us that there was a lack of awareness of activities and events, and how to find out about them. This newsletter is our main channel of communication with users, and as such we’ve made some improvements to the layout and separation of our content, highlighting events and data news to be clearer to our readers. This, along with increased social media activity through @ONSFocus and additional promotion through our partner organisations will provide better awareness of upcoming SRS activities and events.
You also told us that you found navigation of the SRS pages on the ONS website to be difficult and unclear. We were aware of this issue prior to the launch of the survey and had been working with the ONS communications team to improve this. We are pleased to have now launched our new SRS pages. The refreshed pages will support new and potential users of the service better, whilst giving more regularly updated news to current users and stakeholders of the service.
Finally, a request to you as a reader – please spread the word about this newsletter with your colleagues, peers and networks who are users of, or that have an interest in, the SRS, so as many as possible can stay in touch. Anyone not on our mailing list can contact us at SRS.Engagement.Team@ons.gov.uk and don’t forget to follow @ONSFocus for additional updates.
New SRS Output Checking Guidance
The Statistical Support Team have produced an SRS Output Checking Guide to assist researchers in understanding and applying SDC. This guide has been developed over the course of a year and contains essential procedural guidance alongside a number of specific worked examples to exemplify concepts. We recommend all researchers read and save a copy of this guide to solidify your understanding of SDC, it is also available in the SRS Libraries.
New standard for citing releases
ONS have released a new standard for citing releases. If our releases are cited incorrectly, it can be misleading to users and potentially affect trust in the ONS as a reliable source of statistics. The ONS therefore has a responsibility to make it easier for researchers and academics to cite us correctly.
We have been testing how best to include citations in our releases with our users, to make sure we are clear and consistent. Based on this feedback, we have introduced a new “Cite this release” section to bulletins and articles. The section will sit at the bottom of the release and will be included in the table of contents.
Format for new section
The new section should be formatted as:
X. Cite this [content type]
Office for National Statistics (ONS), released XX Month 20XX, ONS website, content type, Title: edition with link embedded
If you are unsure how to format your citation or if you have any questions, contact Content Design.
Ethics Guidance Spotlight Series: Ethical considerations related to the inclusivity of data for research and statistics
Centre for Applied Data Ethics – UK Statistics Authority
To ensure that the public trust researchers use their data in ethically appropriate ways, adopting an inclusive approach is vital. As a direct product of the Inclusive Data Taskforce’s recommendations, our guidance on ethical considerations related to the inclusivity of data for research and statistics addresses why inclusivity is important if you want to carry out ethical and impactful research.
In practice, the guidance covers the ethical challenges related to data inclusivity that can be faced at different points of a project, for example, when analysing and disseminating data. With the use of secondary data, the guidance outlines steps to take when assessing the representation of data sources to reduce bias. It also identifies ways to facilitate trust and confidence in the use of data through public engagement, particularly engaging with those from under-represented groups.
We hope that you find this practical guidance useful and if you have any feedback, particularly on how it has supported your work, please get in touch at data.ethics@statistics.gov.uk! The next instalment of our Ethics Guidance Spotlight Series will be on considering public views and engagement regarding the use of data for research and statistics. 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 here.
New datasets in the SRS
ASHE linked to 2011 Census
Accredited researchers can now apply to use the de-identified Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) - 2011 Census linked dataset.
Using the ASHE – 2011 Census linked dataset, researchers can explore how factors such as gender, ethnicity, disability and migration affect individual’s wage levels and pay progression. Access to this data will provide fresh insights into things such as the experiences of young people entering the labour market, job mobility, and career progression to retirement. This will enable policymakers to make better-informed decisions to improve the experiences of people in employment.
Find out more on the Metadata Catalogue. and you can also read more in the ADR UK news story.
COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey linked with Test and Trace - England
The COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey (SIS) team have made their SIS linked to Test and Trace data available to all accredited researchers. This dataset consists of a list of SIS ID’s attached to the UKHSA COVID-19 Data (Test and Trace) enabling them to be analysed together.
Find out more on the Metadata Catalogue.
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service in the UK (UCAS) Data
UCAS is an independent charity and the UK’s shared admissions service for Higher Education. These data relate to applicants and their applications to UK Higher Education with UCAS registered Higher Education Providers. The data runs from the 2007 application cycle, up to the most recently closed application cycle (2021). All applicants to UK Higher Education are included, those domiciled within the UK and those outside.
Visit the UCAS website to find out more and view on the Metadata Catalogue.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) - Public Attitudes Tracker - UK
This survey collects data on the public awareness, behaviours and attitudes in relation to the BEIS department’s policy areas and is run four times a year. Data is collected through ABOS (address based online surveying) or push-to-web methodology. Questions on issues where attitudes are likely to shift quickly are repeated quarterly; other questions are asked annually with a few topics asked bi-annually.
Find out more on the Metadata Catalogue.
Funding opportunity: 20 PhDs using linked administrative data
Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) is accepting applications for Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Training Partnerships to host PhD studentships focused on quantitative research using linked administrative data. Funding is available for up to 20 PhD studentships located anywhere in the UK, which are expected to start in autumn 2023.
To find out more, please visit the ADR UK Website.
Funding opportunity: Using linked justice system administrative data to evaluate the impact of justice services
ADR UK are accepting applications for two Evaluation Fellows to carry out an ambitious 18-month project funded by the Cabinet Office’s Evaluation Accelerator Fund. Fellows will co-design and deliver on defined project(s) to evaluate the effectiveness of selected interventions in the justice system using linked administrative data. This is a jointly led opportunity between the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
You can register now for an applicant webinar taking place on Thursday 15 September 2022, 13:00 - 14:30. In the webinar, you'll hear more about this opportunity and have a chance to ask any questions.
The deadline for applications is 16:00 on Wednesday 26 October.
To find out more, please visit the ADR UK Website.
Funding opportunity: Experiences of the family justice system.
ADR UK is accepting applications for funding to conduct research using the newly available Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data First family court –Cafcass linked dataset (Cafcass stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service). Researchers can apply for a fellowship grant for up to 15 months in duration, of up to £145,000 at full economic cost. Applications close 16.00 on 20 October.
Research Ready Data Fellowship
ADR UK are delighted to announce the first series of projects to receive funding from our research-ready data and access call. This major new data linkage project will address vital policy questions and will cover a diverse range of topics.
To find out more, please visit the ADR UK Website.
First Data Insight from ADR England
This Data Insight written by Dr Angela Sorsby, ADR UK Data First Fellow, examines ethnicity and gender differences in the number of non-custodial and suspended sentences a person receives prior to receiving a short sentence of immediate custody. To find out more, please visit the ADR UK Website.
DLUHC consultation on English indices of deprivation
DLUHC are currently consulting on how best to update the English Indices of Deprivation in the future. More information and detail on how to respond can be found on the consultation page.
Labour Market transformation update
We have published a Labour Market transformation update Labour market transformation – update on progress and plans - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) It describes our plans and approach to improve labour market statistics based on a transformed Labour Force Survey and through greater use of administrative data. It also includes a summary of the results from our recent Transforming the Labour Force Survey user engagement exercise and a forward look at the information we will share with users between October to December 2022.
Help shape the future of the Integrated Data Service
The User Research team working on Integrated Data Service (IDS) is looking for volunteers to participate in our User research activities so that we can test new products and provision planned as part of the IDS programme.
We would like to hear from anyone who works with data, data analysts/researchers, data engineers etc. We will be carrying and carry out usability testing of some of our new products, and holding sessions to canvas your views for the foreseeable future.
Please complete the short survey attached if you are interested. The initial ask is that you attend a session for about an hour, but you can withdraw from the panel at any time.
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Dataset of the Month
What Works for Children’s Social Care (WWCSC) is a charity that seeks to provide evidence and research into children’s social care with the overarching goal of improving outcomes for families and children alike. WWCSC were commissioned by the Department for Education to work collaboratively with the CASCADE children’s social care research centre at Cardiff University. The WWCSC archive is a growing resource providing robust evidence to practitioners and policy makers working in children’s social care.
Four of the WWCSC’s Happier, Healthier Professionals datasets are available in the SRS. This data evaluates the effectiveness of interventions on social workers and Ministry of Defence staff. This data can be used to investigate topics such as; how receiving messages of gratitude and support can impact wellbeing, or how gender and ethnicity cues impact recruitment selection in Social Care.
If you would like to learn more about the WWCSC Happier, Healthier Professionals datasets, please contact: info@whatworks-csc.org.uk. To access these datasets within the ONS SRS, please contact the SRS Customer Support team: srs.customer.support@ons.gov.uk
Case Study of the Month
How do schools and colleges contribute to a young person’s labour market outcomes?
This research study using secure data has found that the institution which a young person attends for their main post-16 qualification has a small but significant impact on their longer-term outcomes. This research suggests that destination measures have the potential to help schools and colleges better understand how they are preparing young people for the future labour market. This project was funded by the Edge Foundation to investigate the potential for using the Department for Education’s (DfE) Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset.
To find out more, please visit the ADR UK website.
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