The NatCen Blog

Here we’ll be talking about our research in the context of the latest news, opinion and
analysis through comments from our team of experts. We’d love to hear from you, so post comments or get in touch with us.

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Posted on 15 June 2022 by Eliska Holland, Researcher

Exploring the relationship between loneliness and mental health

Loneliness is something that many people will experience from time to time and is part of the human experience. Defined as ‘a subjective, unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of companionship’, loneliness is not the same as social isolation and people can feel lonely even if they have a lot of social contact.
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Tags: health, health and lifestyle, loneliness, mental health, qualitative research, social
Posted on 13 June 2022

Deliberation: a way of doing society?

On 25 May 2022, NatCen’s Centre for Deliberative Research and the Policy Institute at King’s College London launched the first in an ongoing seminar series looking at a range of aspects exploring both the theory and practice of deliberation.
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Posted on 03 May 2022 by Andy MacGregor, Director of Policy Research ScotCen

Staying healthy in a fast-changing world: exploring young people’s experiences of unhealthy food marketing

Changes in young people’s media habits in recent years, alongside the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, have transformed the landscape for policymakers concerned with unhealthy food marketing.
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Tags: COVID-19, Scottish Centre for Social Research, food marketing, health, healthy eating, obesity
Posted on 16 March 2022 by Macfarlane, Phyllis, Trustee

What I’ve learned from a life in research

Our trustee Phyllis Macfarlane shares what she has learnt from a life spent working in the insight sector.
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Tags: career paths, leadership, methodology and innovation, social and political attitudes, social research, trustees
Posted on 09 March 2022 by Duncan Grimes, Research Director

When and how to deliberate online

At the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), our Centre for Deliberative Research approaches deliberation as a spectrum of involvement.
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Tags: NatCen Learning, What UK Thinks, deliberative polling, deliberative research, methodology and innovation
Posted on 02 March 2022 by Gayle Munro, Deputy Director

Alternatives to immigration detention: providing support and reaching case resolution within a more humane environment

Alternatives to detention can provide a more humane environment for people seeking asylum, could be significantly less expensive and do not reduce compliance with the immigration system.
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Tags: crime and justice, detention, immigration, refugees
Posted on 24 February 2022 by Fazila Ismail, Research Data Assistant

How has COVID-19 impacted volunteering?

As society continues to respond to the challenges posed by COVID-19, it’s important to assess how the pandemic has impacted on volunteering in the UK.
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Tags: COVID-19, NHS, charities, fair society, volunteering
Posted on 21 February 2022 by Sir John Curtice, Senior Research Fellow

Will COVID-19 prove a ‘Turning Point in History’?

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been much discussion about what its long-term legacy would be.
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Tags: COVID-19, NatCen Panel, benefits system, mixed-mode survey, social and political attitudes
Posted on 27 January 2022

Online questionnaire testing – how did the pandemic change our approach?

In order to collect high-quality data, it is critical to test questionnaires before a survey is launched. This is especially important for questionnaires which will be administered online, as respondents must complete these without any support from a trained interviewer.
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Tags: interviews, methods, online methods, questionnaires, research methods
Posted on 19 January 2022 by Phoebe Weston-Stanley, Research Assistant

Current and past trends in tobacco and e-cigarette use and the impact of control measures

Despite the ever-decreasing use of tobacco, smoking remains a primary cause of early death in the developed world.
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Tags: e-cigarettes, health, health and lifestyle, smoking