Demographic Divides: What drives attitudes in the UK and US?
Event
British Social Attitudes (BSA): First Look
BSA: First Look draws on data from the BSA survey, running continuously since 1983
Register
The British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey has tracked public opinion in Britain for over four decades, providing an authoritative picture of how attitudes towards key social and political issues evolve over time.
The BSA now publishes quarterly reports, giving more frequent snapshots of what people in Britain think about the issues that matter most. BSA : First Look draws on data from the BSA survey, running continuously since 1983.
This online launch event will present new findings on public attitudes to taxation, public spending, immigration, welfare and assisted dying, offering timely insight into how public opinion is shifting in the context of post-pandemic state expansion, ongoing economic pressures, and renewed political debate around borders and belonging.
The event will combine presentation of the latest BSA data with expert reflections and discussion, exploring what these attitudes mean for policy, politics, and public discourse.
Speakers
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Sir John CurticeSenior Research Fellow National Centre for Social Research
Sir John Curtice is Senior Research Fellow at NatCen, Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University, and Chief Commentator on the What UK Thinks: EU and What Scotland Thinks websites.
He has been a regular contributor to the annual British Social Attitudes report since 1986 and an editor since 1994. He has also been a Co-Director of the Scottish Social Attitudes survey since its foundation in 1999, and his analyses of Scottish public opinion in the run up to the independence referendum were frequently featured throughout the campaigns.
In 2018, he received a knighthood in the New Year's Honours list. Sir John is a regular media commentator on both British and Scottish politics.
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Alex ScholesResearch Director National Centre for Social Research
Alex is a Research Director on the Attitudinal Surveys and NatCen Opinion Panel team, where he leads on delivery of the British Social Attitudes survey. He first joined the organisation as a Researcher on the ScotCen team following the completion of his Masters in September 2018. Alex has worked on a variety of projects since then, including the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey, the Scottish Health Survey and the ESRC funded 'WhatUKThinks:EU' and 'WhatScotlandThinks' websites.
As well as the British Social Attitudes survey, Alex also works on the NatCen Opinion Panel and the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), a cross-national survey programme with over 40 members. -
Helen BarnardTrustee National Centre for Social Research
Helen Barnard is Director of Policy, Research and Impact at the Trussell Trust. She was formerly Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Research and Policy Director at Pro Bono Economics.
She is a leading national expert on poverty, inequality and social policy. Her extensive body of research and policy work have covered poverty, destitution, labour markets, housing, social security and civil society. She is author of ‘Want (Giants: a new Beveridge Report)’ which examines modern day poverty and the institutions and reforms required to address it. -
Rob FordProfessor of Political Science University of Manchester
