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 25 July 2022 by Jennifer Barton-Crosby, Research Director

  Understanding female perpetrators of intimate partner violence

  The Home Office Domestic Abuse Perpetrators Research Fund is focused on strengthening the evidence base for ‘what works’ in addressing perpetrator behaviour, to support effective commissioning and delivery of perpetrator services and interventions. As part of this initiative, NatCen was awarded funding in 2021 to carry out a piece of research with the aim of improving understanding of female perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV).

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• Posted on 18 July 2022 by Marta Mezzanzanica, Research Director

  The public's view: how did the pandemic impact on UK consumers' experiences?

  

  Since its emergence in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant social and economic disruption across the world, with businesses forced to close, borders closed, personal restrictions imposed and supply chains interrupted. Consumers were also affected, directly or indirectly, by this disruption.

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• Posted on 14 July 2022 by Kate Belcher, Researcher/Analyst

  A new ‘worry gap’ between women and men is a concerning legacy of the pandemic

  Women are twice as likely as men to report levels of extreme worry since the pandemic, according to new analysis published today as part of NatCen’s annual Society Watch report.

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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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  Tags: Deliberation, NatCen Centre for Deliberative Research, deliberative polling, deliberative research

• 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