Defining Mass Observation: using mixed-methods longitudinal analysis to increase knowledge of the Mass Observation Project's volunteer writers.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Southampton
Department Name: School of Social Sciences
Abstract
The Mass Observation Project (MOP), run by the Mass Observation Archive Charity (MOA) is a volunteer writing project that has run since 1981, and involved c. 3,500 self-selected individuals writing in response to directives - broadly themed questions sent out by the MOA, three times a year. Writers' responses to these directives provide a personal account of individuals' activities and attitudes towards a broad range of issues relating to British society. This writing has the potential to be of interest to wide audiences including, academics, policy-makers, practitioners, lay researchers, community groups, schools, adult education groups and individuals.
However, for some time there has been a debate about the 'representativeness' of MOP writers. The MOA undertook some basic analyses of its writers, finding that at certain points in the lifetime of the MOP, writers have been over-represented by women living in the South East aged 50+. Some academics have used this finding to argue that MOP writers are not representative of the broader UK population, and their writing should not be used for research purposes. Others argue that the depth and quality of MOP writing makes it a unique longitudinal resource that can be used by researchers from different disciplinary fields. The debate has impacted on the trust and use of the MOP. This project seeks to put an end to this debate by producing sophisticated analyses of MOP writers that provide clear, evidence-based descriptions of writers and their socio-economic characteristics. This will enable all users of the archive to be confident about how and why they use this resource.
The MOA, who are our partners in this project, have not had the tools and skills to do these sorts of analyses. During recent work on another project involving use of MOP writing, we discovered that the MOA hold lots of information on MOP writers. This includes information about their age, gender, occupation, which directives they have responded to, and how long these responses are. In its current form, this information can't be analysed. But, in collaboration with the MOA, we have developed a plan to integrate this information into one searchable database, to conduct a series of analyses to find out more about MOP writers. We will ask how the characteristics of MOP writers compare with those of the UK population as a whole; how they compare with those of the UK population that engage in active volunteering; and what their writing behaviour can tells us, for example, do women respond to different directives to men?
As well as looking at this statistical information, we will look at MOP writing in response to the 1990 directive entitled Social Divisions, which 652 writers responded to (this represents 75% of active/serial responding writers). Writers talk about what class they think they are, whether they belong to a minority group, and whether they discriminate against others that are different. This will enable us to understand how writers perceive themselves, and how they fit with the broader UK population. We will also look at the 2008 Directive Your Lifeline, where 159 writers discussed meaningful life events. This will allow us to see, for example, when in their life-course they decided to write for the MOP, and whether they share particular life events, such as bereavement, divorce, or children leaving home. Using computer software, we will combine the statistical information with the MOP writing, and conduct an additional in depth analysis of these 811 individuals
Our end-products will include the launch of an interactive searchable database, maintained by the MOA, enabling archive users to undertake a wide variety of searches of writer characteristics and responses to different directives; and publication of accessible reports, articles and conference papers, describing MOP writers to lay and academic audiences. These outputs will widen access to and enable confident use of the archive.
However, for some time there has been a debate about the 'representativeness' of MOP writers. The MOA undertook some basic analyses of its writers, finding that at certain points in the lifetime of the MOP, writers have been over-represented by women living in the South East aged 50+. Some academics have used this finding to argue that MOP writers are not representative of the broader UK population, and their writing should not be used for research purposes. Others argue that the depth and quality of MOP writing makes it a unique longitudinal resource that can be used by researchers from different disciplinary fields. The debate has impacted on the trust and use of the MOP. This project seeks to put an end to this debate by producing sophisticated analyses of MOP writers that provide clear, evidence-based descriptions of writers and their socio-economic characteristics. This will enable all users of the archive to be confident about how and why they use this resource.
The MOA, who are our partners in this project, have not had the tools and skills to do these sorts of analyses. During recent work on another project involving use of MOP writing, we discovered that the MOA hold lots of information on MOP writers. This includes information about their age, gender, occupation, which directives they have responded to, and how long these responses are. In its current form, this information can't be analysed. But, in collaboration with the MOA, we have developed a plan to integrate this information into one searchable database, to conduct a series of analyses to find out more about MOP writers. We will ask how the characteristics of MOP writers compare with those of the UK population as a whole; how they compare with those of the UK population that engage in active volunteering; and what their writing behaviour can tells us, for example, do women respond to different directives to men?
As well as looking at this statistical information, we will look at MOP writing in response to the 1990 directive entitled Social Divisions, which 652 writers responded to (this represents 75% of active/serial responding writers). Writers talk about what class they think they are, whether they belong to a minority group, and whether they discriminate against others that are different. This will enable us to understand how writers perceive themselves, and how they fit with the broader UK population. We will also look at the 2008 Directive Your Lifeline, where 159 writers discussed meaningful life events. This will allow us to see, for example, when in their life-course they decided to write for the MOP, and whether they share particular life events, such as bereavement, divorce, or children leaving home. Using computer software, we will combine the statistical information with the MOP writing, and conduct an additional in depth analysis of these 811 individuals
Our end-products will include the launch of an interactive searchable database, maintained by the MOA, enabling archive users to undertake a wide variety of searches of writer characteristics and responses to different directives; and publication of accessible reports, articles and conference papers, describing MOP writers to lay and academic audiences. These outputs will widen access to and enable confident use of the archive.
Planned Impact
The Mass Observation Project's (MOP) rich archival collections are a vital and significant research resource. Our work will contribute to bringing them to wider attention, and it will open up access to the material held at the Mass Observation Archive (MOA). Beneficiaries of this project are therefore likely to include not just policy-makers, but a much wider audience that includes practitioners, individual lay researchers, community groups, schools, adult education groups, and individuals.
The main beneficiaries from the work will be:
1. Our project partners:
a) The MOA staff: The skills of the staff working on the project will be enhanced in the short term through developing expertise about the use of the demographic and socioeconomic metadata held by MOA. We also envisage that they will gain skills and experience through playing lead roles in managing and co-producing knowledge for the proposed project. This academic and practical experience and knowledge will help the MOA staff as a group to develop their skills, and stand them in good stead in the wider job market in the longer term.
b) The MOA organisation: a longer term benefit to the archive will be the increase of electronic data within its archive; and its recognition of the increasing role of technology in the curating of archival materials. Embracing the future uses of technology, particularly in relation to electronic access, will enable MOA to widen its user-group, strengthen its position as an archive, and strengthen its links to other archives.
2. Third and private sector research and consultancy agencies / think tanks: the new economics foundation, NESTA, the RSA, Demos, Civitas, the Centre for Social Justice, the Young Foundation, and ResPublica. All of these have interests in the relationship between public policy and public opinion, and MOA's material provides a unique perspective on how individuals have responded to changed socioeconomic and political circumstances. Understanding who MOP writers are, will enable confident use of the MOP as a source of secondary data.
3. Users in the wider social research community, particularly organisations concerned with researching trends in public opinion. As a result of our work, they will be able, with care, to draw comparisons between the patterns of responses from their own surveys, and those revealed by the qualitative material gathered by the MOP.
4. Government departments, who might reasonably be expected to have a concern with changing patterns of public opinion. The on-line thinktank, History and Policy, has in recent years done much to draw the attention of policy-makers to the rich range of material that provides historical perspective on policy debates, and they have encountered a receptive audience.
5. Individual lay researchers and adult education groups, many of whom have a focus on or interests in archival material; as is the case with other beneficiaries, they will benefit from improved access to the material, and from better information enabling them to contextualize it.
6. Building capacity within the archive for the MOA to digitise its holdings, and make these available online. In the longer-term the MOA's reach could extend to new, non-traditional users of the archive, particularly people and groups who cannot afford to travel to visit the MOA, and those living in geographically remote areas.
The main beneficiaries from the work will be:
1. Our project partners:
a) The MOA staff: The skills of the staff working on the project will be enhanced in the short term through developing expertise about the use of the demographic and socioeconomic metadata held by MOA. We also envisage that they will gain skills and experience through playing lead roles in managing and co-producing knowledge for the proposed project. This academic and practical experience and knowledge will help the MOA staff as a group to develop their skills, and stand them in good stead in the wider job market in the longer term.
b) The MOA organisation: a longer term benefit to the archive will be the increase of electronic data within its archive; and its recognition of the increasing role of technology in the curating of archival materials. Embracing the future uses of technology, particularly in relation to electronic access, will enable MOA to widen its user-group, strengthen its position as an archive, and strengthen its links to other archives.
2. Third and private sector research and consultancy agencies / think tanks: the new economics foundation, NESTA, the RSA, Demos, Civitas, the Centre for Social Justice, the Young Foundation, and ResPublica. All of these have interests in the relationship between public policy and public opinion, and MOA's material provides a unique perspective on how individuals have responded to changed socioeconomic and political circumstances. Understanding who MOP writers are, will enable confident use of the MOP as a source of secondary data.
3. Users in the wider social research community, particularly organisations concerned with researching trends in public opinion. As a result of our work, they will be able, with care, to draw comparisons between the patterns of responses from their own surveys, and those revealed by the qualitative material gathered by the MOP.
4. Government departments, who might reasonably be expected to have a concern with changing patterns of public opinion. The on-line thinktank, History and Policy, has in recent years done much to draw the attention of policy-makers to the rich range of material that provides historical perspective on policy debates, and they have encountered a receptive audience.
5. Individual lay researchers and adult education groups, many of whom have a focus on or interests in archival material; as is the case with other beneficiaries, they will benefit from improved access to the material, and from better information enabling them to contextualize it.
6. Building capacity within the archive for the MOA to digitise its holdings, and make these available online. In the longer-term the MOA's reach could extend to new, non-traditional users of the archive, particularly people and groups who cannot afford to travel to visit the MOA, and those living in geographically remote areas.
Publications
Cnaan R
(2019)
Continuity and change in voluntary action: Patterns, trends and understandings by Rose Lindsey and John Mohan with Elizabeth Metcalfe and Sarah Bulloch (2018)
in Voluntary Sector Review
Lindsey R
(2020)
Sampling the digitised collection of 1980s Mass Observation writing
Lindsey R
(2022)
Researching Voluntary Action: Innovations and Challenges
Lindsey Rose
(2018)
Continuity and change in voluntary action: Patterns, trends and understandings
| Description | Since 1981, the Mass Observation Project (MOP) has been a unique qualitative source of public opinion on a wide range of social, economic and political issues, with more than 3,500 self-selected volunteer writers contributing to the MOP. However, there has been little available information about the demographic make-up of this panel of writers. Because of these limitations, some debates within the social sciences have questioned the reliability and utility of the MOP data, on the basis that the panel seems to be unrepresentative of the broader British population. One of the key aims of the 'Defining Mass Observation' study was to increase user-confidence in the MOP, by producing analyses that make MOP writers a knowable sample. ANALYSIS: We analysed previously unused metadata supplied by writers, to provide socio-economic data on writer characteristics, including year of birth, sex, occupation, and region of residence. We compared these with census data and data from the Standard Occupation Classifications (measures of socio-economic status based on occupation) and found that: • Data on ethnicity, religion/belief, sexual orientation, and chosen-gender-identity have never been formally collected by the Mass Observation Archive (MOA). • The number of writers in the panel has fluctuated over time, with the greatest number taking part in the 1980s. The size of the panel has decreased over time, and in 2016 was comprised of c.450 individuals. • Between 1981 and 1996, there was greater lack of representation of the general population in the panel, with under-representation of male writers, and writers between the ages of 18-44; and over-representation of writers from the South East of England; and of writers from certain occupational groups. • Since 1996, changes to the MOA's selection and recruitment of writers have reduced/increased the proportions of certain demographic characteristics that have been over/under-represented. By 2006-2015 the ages of writers and their region of residence were closer to that of the general population. • Between 2006 and 2015 the panel was still over-represented by women writers - the proportion being 60%, compared to the proportion of the general population which tends to be a little over 50%. • Writers from professional occupational groups have been over-represented throughout the lifetime of the panel (highest in 2006-2015 at 20 percentage points greater than the general population). Lower occupational groups were under-represented (by up to 12 pp below that of the general population), although this was less marked in the case of sales and customer service workers, and care and leisure workers. DATABASE OF MOP WRITERS: Whilst our analyses show fluctuating levels of representativeness within the MOP panel, these findings are offset by the project's creation of a searchable, sustainable online database that can be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet, enabling data to be manipulated offline. http://database.massobs.org.uk/projects_database/mass_observation/ The database provides users with the socio-demographic characteristics of individual writers; offers tools to make simple comparisons between writers and the broader UK population; gives information on individual writing behaviours; and enables users to carry out a variety of different searches based on these data. By providing data on every MOP writer, which can be down-loaded as an Excel spreadsheet, the database enables users of the MOP to easily sample writing and writers, cross-sectionally or longitudinally, from the panel, in a way that is meaningful for their individual research projects. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS: The study also analysed writing on class and life histories, providing additional insights on writers; highlighting the relevance of MOP writing to academic debates on class; and identifying life-histories as a key resource for researchers seeking more information on writers. We pioneered new ways of analysing MOP writing using computer assisted qualitative analysis (CAQDAS) tools. |
| Exploitation Route | Our downloadable database and its associated tools render the Mass Observation Project (MOP) writers, who make up the panel, a knowable sample, and enables the manipulation of data and the confident sampling of writers and writing. It provides new and existing users of the archive with a secure platform from which to begin using MOP writing, opening up opportunities for its wider use. We anticipate future use by diverse group of academics, policy makers, practitioners, third sector organisations, educators and community groups. The database enables MOP users to see the longitudinal opportunities offered by the archive, and the opportunities for its use with other mixed sources. There is capacity for the Mass Observation Archive (MOA) to add to and build on the database in the future, creating further potential uses of the MOP. The MOA are in the process of considering how to collect hitherto uncollected data on protected characteristics (in line with the 2010 Equality Act and General Data Protection Regulation 2018) to enhance understanding of the panel. To this end, the MOA trustees and staff agreed in 2019 to consult with writers on this issue, sending out a directive on 'Identity' in the Summer of 2019. This should begin the process of opening up the archive to those that research difference and discrimination. Additionally, Dr Lindsey and Ms Pattrick from the MOA have recently applied for funding to look at the issue of enhancing knowledge of writers with protected characteristics, to enable users to be able to more easily access writing on experience of difference. Our study concerned itself with methodologies that might be applied by MOP users. We considered the potential opportunities offered by MOP material for analysis and have made this available to users of the archive. We provided examples of ways in which MOP writing can be analysed using computer assisted qualitative analysis (CAQDAS) tools - making available sample CAQDAS projects for scrutiny by MOP users. We hope to spark methodological debate amongst MOP users, as well as kick-starting the take-up of CAQDAS tools for analysis. There is potential for the quantitative methods we have used to be taken forward in other contexts. For example, voluntary organisations are now concerned with how far their volunteers can be considered representative, and how far they are reaching their target clientele. The methods used here - comparisons with appropriate survey or census data - can be applied to other data held by organisations. Additionally, our consideration of the value of the debate on representativeness has the potential to provoke wider academic and practitioner debate. For example, when considering patterns of social inclusion or exclusion in volunteering, to what extent can and should individual organisations be expected to recruit groups of volunteers that are typical of the wider population? More generally, we have consulted with the MOA on ways in which writing could be made more accessible to users, including digitisation of the archive. The MOA has been working with Adam Matthew to begin digitisation of the contemporary archive. The first decade of writing (1981-1989) will be made digitally available in spring 2020. Dr Lindsey has been in discussions with Adam Matthew, and has written an essay for new and current users of the archive, on how the digitised archive might be used alongside the DMO database, to enhance accessibility. This will be available to users of the digital collection. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Other |
| URL | http://database.massobs.org.uk/ |
| Description | CONTEXT: The Mass Observation Project (MOP) which is run by the Mass Observation Archive (MOA) is a writing project that has been in place since 1981 and has involved c. 4,000 self-selected volunteers writing in response to directives - broadly themed questions sent out by the MOA, three times a year. In the late 1990s/early 2000s the MOA undertook some basic analyses of its national panel of writers and found that it was overrepresented by women living in the South East, over the age of fifty. In 2004, the archive set about addressing this overrepresentation by changing its selection criteria for new writers, prioritizing the selection of younger, male writers from the north of the UK. However, this finding on overrepresentation resulted in contention surrounding the use of the archive, thus impacting on confidence in the archive. Some academics argued that MOP writers are not representative of the broader UK population and thus their writing should not be used for research purposes; whilst others argued that the depth and quality of MOP writing makes it a unique longitudinal resource that can be used by researchers from different disciplinary fields. The overarching aim of this project was to address this debate by making the MOP a knowable resource, enabling users to make up their own minds about the appropriateness of the archive for their research, and inspiring confidence in the archive amongst potential users. The project sought to do this by bringing together various sources of MOP metadata on writers; and making this available to users of the archive through various outputs, including an online, searchable and downloadable database. THE DATABASE: The Mass Observation Project (MOP) database was launched in July 2016. It enables users of the archive to find out more about individual MOP writers, their demographic characteristics, and their writing behaviours. An additional tool within the database enables users to make simple comparisons between the demographic characteristics of writers and those of the broader UK population (based on census data). The database therefore enables potential users to ask specific questions of the archive and its materials; quickly and remotely understand the nature of the MOP resource and the individual writers that make up the panel; and understand how writers compare to the broader UK population. It also enables users to gain a sense of the relevance of the MOP to their interests and research. DATABASE IMPACT: The database was trialled in June 2016 and launched in July 2016; a variety of different media were used to advertise it. This included a presentation at the Research Methods Festival, where Dr Lindsey was invited to speak on 'What is Mass Observation?' This presentation was well-attended by post-graduate researchers and is now available via the NCRM website. The MOA's view is that the database is opening-up access to the MOP archive to new and existing users. Figures for the first 11 months of use - August 2016 to June 2017 - showed that the database was accessed on average by 454 different users per month, with an average of 686 visits per month. Figures for April 2018 to February 2019 show that the database was accessed on average, 23 times a day, and 713 times a month. This represents a total of 7844 visits over 11 months. Figures for Jan 2019 to December 2019 show that there were 9659 visits over 12 months, averaging at 805 visits a month. Figures for 2020 were affected by the pandemic, and the lack of access to the archive's resources, with traffic severely reduced. These should pick up when the archive reopens. The MOA archive has identified known current users as schools, community groups, a small number of individual lay users, academics, and postgraduate and undergraduate students. MOA staff were using the database in outreach sessions at The Keep, where the archive is housed, promoting the research opportunities offered by the archive to community groups and schools. Figures for introduction of the database to individuals attending these sessions are: August 2016 to June 2017: 360 individuals; July 2017 to June 2018: 1109 individuals; and July 2018 to January 2019: 552. Sept 2019 to February 2020:264 individuals. The database is also introduced to all students on group visits to the Mass Observation Archive as a tool for engagement with the collection. All student groups are allocated a Padlet site with relevant materials and links, within which is a direct link to the database. Students that have attended teaching sessions come from a range of disciplines including Politics, Media, Linguistics, History, Social Work, English and International Relations. Archive officer, Kirsty Pattrick, notes that the database has enabled the MOA in developing a strong relationship with the Linguistics department "Mass Observation has proved to be a useful data set for analysing language variation. As a result, I regularly use the database to produce writing materials for exercises in their group visits, generating a variety of voices for them to follow and highlight the breadth of writers, their styles and the challenges that arise from this". Figures for introduction to University of Sussex students are: August 2016 to June 2017: 210 students; July 2017 to June 2018: 139 students; and July 2018 to January 2019: 160 students. During 2020 face to face teaching at The Keep was not possible due to the pandemic. The MOA also report that they "recommend the database to all users and it has been intrinsic to the development of academic partner funding bids including Professor Irene Hardill's Discourses of Voluntary Action (ESRC) and Dr Justyna Robinson Atlas of Britain British Thinking pilot Project (HEIF)". IMPACT OF DATABASE ON HOW THE ARCHIVE IS BEING USED: MOA staff report a step-change in the way the archive is now being considered and used, with the database enabling more complex understandings of the resource, which are both thematic and longitudinal. Archive Officer, Kirsty Pattrick, who is responsible for managing and developing the current Mass Observation Project, and increasing its use amongst academic and non-academic communities writes: "Since the production of the database I have incorporated this into all sessions, to show the accessibility and scope of the writing we hold. It has proved to be an incredibly useful tool to demonstrate the ways in which one can approach the material and reduce some of the challenges in where to begin. Predominantly people used to delve into the material thematically but more so, there is an approach to follow individuals and use the data longitudinally. For this, I regularly highlight the ESRC funded research led by Rose Lindsey at Southampton." IMPACT OF THE DATABASE ON THE MOA: The database is a sustainable resource. The MOA is in the process of regularly inputting new information on writers and their responses to new directives. The database has been designed in a way that new categories of data can be added to it, should the Mass Observation Archive (MOA) begin to collect additional new data about writers. There are several developments that we can report in relation to the impact of this project on the MOA and its staff: i) Firstly, throughout the lifetime of this project - during the bid-writing process, whilst work on data cleaning, analysis, and collation, and during the building of the database - staff at the MOA were very involved in this project. This enabled them to consider the value of their metadata to users and potential users of the archive, to identify how this metadata might be used, and gain understanding of the relationship between metadata and sampling. The MOA asked a small number of users to trial the database before its launch and provide feedback. This enabled further insights into the value of the data to MOP users. ii) Secondly, MOA staff have learnt how metadata collection methods and curation can affect the quality of that data; for example, ensuring the use of consistent descriptors of demographic characteristics; and ensuring that data collected over different time-points is saved. This learning will affect collection and curation policies in the future. iii) Since the project funding came to an end, the MOA has been considering whether the archive should be collecting additional data and consulted with previous commissioners who have used the MOA. The academic members of the Defining Mass Observation team have suggested that the MOA should begin to collect data on the race and ethnicity of its writing panel, and other protected characteristics (2010 Equality Act) such as gender identity, experience of living with a disability, sexual orientation. iv) The MOA staff and trustees spent some time considering whether to implement this suggestion, and in the Summer of 2019 began the process of consulting writers, by sending out a directive on 'Identity'. They have since made the decision to introduce revised biographical forms for new and existing (anonymous) writers in 2021 that will ask writers questions about their protected intersectional characteristics (that are in line with questions asked by the census). This will enable the archive to measure the numbers of writers who identify as belonging to minority communities. The archive is in the process of revising the database so that it can make these new data available to bonafide users - using a licence agreement - and enable greater transparency on the levels of minority writers that make up the current panel. v) The archive has been working with Dr Lindsey and third sector organisations that represent key minority groups - Runnymede Trust, Equally Ours, LCBT+ Consortium, and Scope - to find funding for projects that bring the MOA to these groups, to find ways for disabled writers to take part, and to increase the engagement of these groups with the archive, as both users and contributors. vi) The Archive Officer and Education and Outreach Officer at the MOA report that the database is a very tangible and accessible tool which has saved them time when preparing for teaching activities, enabling them to identify resources and writing more quickly and easily. It has also enabled them to showcase the archive's longitudinal opportunities during teaching, demonstrating how users of the archive can follow writers through time. vii) A final point is that the MOA's engagement with the database, reflects a journey that the MOA has taken in understanding the need to provide accessible data. During the lifetime of the project, there has been much discussion about the potential digitisation of the MOP, and how the database might fit with such a resource. Kirsty Pattrick from the MOA states that "the digitisation of the Mass Observation Project has been a long term consideration for the Trustees based upon the success of Mass Observation Online. The Mass Observation Database has enabled efficient accessibility for users to research longitudinally across the collection and this will be highlighted within the new digitised package." Digitisation is now taking place, and the first decade of contemporary MOP writing (1981-1989) was made available in 2020. Digitisation of the rest of the writing will be rolled out over the next few years. Alongside accurate measurement of the demographic characteristics of writers, this will open up MOP writing to national audiences, such as practitioners and policy makers, and also to international audiences. GENERATING AWARENESS OF THE RESOURCES OFFERED BY THIS PROJECT RESOURCES: The team regularly mention the project and the database at conferences that they attend, publicising the opportunities that the database offers to researchers for accessing the MO. This includes the Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN) conference at the NCVO in London in September 2018, and the British Sociological Association (BSA) Conference at Aston University in April 2017 which reported on findings about who the Mass Observation writers are, and the BSA conference in Glasgow in 2019. Dr Lindsey has been working with Adam Matthew Digital, who are digitising the 1981-1989 MOP writing. Dr Lindsey has written an essay that will be made available to those using the digitised writing. This discusses how the newly digitsed MOP collection of writing from 1981-1989 can be used alongside the database, and will reach international audiences. At a conference held by the MOA at the University of Sussex in July 2017, the project team presented a panel session: introducing the database; tools for its use; findings from analysis of the demographic characteristics of writers; and discussion of the 2008 Your Life Line directive as a resource for first-time users. This was very well attended, generated positive feedback (including a special mention of Dr Lindsey's paper on the Your Life Line by Dorothy Sheridan at the final conference plenary), and generated much discussion during and after the session. Some of those attending this session were new users of the archive, and stated that the presentations had demonstrated to them the database's potential to sample writing and writers and speed up their research, and the potential for longitudinal research. Users were alerted to the additional interdisciplinary opportunities offered by writers' responses to the 2008 Your Lifeline to provide context on writers' lives, and the potential of this resource to be a starting point if researching writing from the contemporary panel of writers. Conference slides have been deposited with the MOA to be uploaded to their website - attendees were particularly keen on accessing Professor Mohan's presentation on how the database can be downloaded into Excel, and the ways in which this data can be searched and manipulated. DEPOSITION: Those attending the session were informed that they could access transcribed and digitised materials deposited with the archive by the project team. Several members of the audience stated that this resource would enable them to save time and resources and "not reinvent the wheel". Perhaps more importantly, the session generated awareness amongst users that they could consider depositing their own transcribed and digitised data with the archive - several stated that this possibility had not occurred to them, and that they would do this on completion of their research. USING COMPUTER ASSISTED QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS (CAQDAS) TO ANALYSE MOP SCRIPTS: Dr Christina Silver is in the process of publishing an article on the analysis of MOP scripts. We anticipate impact from Dr Silver's article, which will provide undergraduate and postgraduate students with insights on the use of CAQDAS with archival material. We have worked alongside several colleagues who are historians, who are beginning to see the opportunities of CAQDAS on archival material; and know of several historians who are now engaging with this research tool after discussion with the project team. SUBSTANTIVE IMPACT: We have presented substantive findings at different conferences. We are in the process of submitting 2 articles for publication (one on Mass Observation writers and class by Dr Stevenson; and the other on 'Who are the Mass Observation writers' by Dr Lindsey and Dr Kamerade) through open-access journals and websites, to enable academics and students to better understand the demographics of MOP writers; to generate debates on class and the life-course; and to consider the uses of different types of metadata. We anticipate that in the future this will encourage interdisciplinary academic confidence in the MOP as a resource for use in research. INTERNATIONAL IMPACT Sweden: The project team have made connections with a representative from Folklivsarkivet, the Swedish equivalent of Mass Observation. This involved several discussions on the scope for collating and analysing metadata on the demographic characteristics of participants of the Swedish Archive. The potential to consider writing on welfare states in Sweden and the UK has also been discussed. United States: Dr Silver presented a paper on using CAQDAS for the analysis of MOP scripts, at a conference on Qualitative Inquiry in the United States in 2016. Here, the potential to use CAQDAS to analyse archival material was seen as new and novel use of this tool. The opportunities offered by a future digital MO collection were also noted - users from the US are now able to access the first decade of MOP writing. Furthermore, new ways of conceptualising life-course material were mapped out using this tool. Professor Mohan also presented at a conference in the United States where there was considerable interest in the MOP as a source of data, and he was able to promote the database as a resource. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Creation and use of course materials on longitudinal and mixed methods opportunities provided by Mass Observation Project data |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Defining Mass Observation |
| Amount | £200,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/L013819/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2015 |
| End | 07/2016 |
| Description | ESRC Research Grant |
| Amount | £600,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/N018249/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2017 |
| End | 06/2019 |
| Title | Metadata collection |
| Description | This is ongoing. With advice and support from Dr Lindsey, the MOA are in the process of revising the type of metadata that they collect, to include writers' protected characteristics (2010 Equality Act) relating to race and ethnicity, gender identity, disability, and sexual orientation. This will enable measurement of, for example, writers of colour; and will influence writer recruitment strategies in the future, with the MOA aiming to involve more writers who are from minority communities. This has included making connections with key third sector organisations: Equally Ours, LGBT Consortium, Scope and the Runnymede Trust |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | There is no clear impact yet. However, in 2021, the MOA will begin recording the protected characteristics of its anonymous writers, enabling users to measure the proportion of writers who identify as being from minority (and often intersecting) communities. The MOA aims also to attract and recruit more minority writers to contribute to the archive, enabling the views of people from these communities to be captured |
| Title | Use of computer assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) tools to undertake longitudinal analyses of Mass Observation Project scripts |
| Description | Dr Christina Silver has led on identifying ways of using CAQDAS tools to undertake longitudinal analysis of Mass Observation scripts. She has presented at the 12th Conference of Qualitative Inquiry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and discussed these methods with an international audience. She has blogged on these tools. And she is in the process of writing up for publication |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | It's a bit early to identfy impact. But at the conference of qualitative inquiry there was strong interest in this method amongst academics and post graduate students. We have also blogged on using these tools. We hope to see others using CAQDAS for longitudinal written material in the future |
| URL | https://definingmassobservation.wordpress.com/ |
| Title | Using Mass Observation Archive data longitudinally and as part of a mixed-methods project |
| Description | This project has broken new ground in the use of Mass Observation Archive data - this is the first time that a group of individual Mass Observation Project writers (1981-2014) have been followed across time |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2013 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | We have presented this research innovation to conferences. We also blogged about our longitudinal use of the Mass Observation Project. This has raised awareness that the archive could be used in this way. Several researchers have demonstrated interest in taking up this approach, and we have been informed of several individuals who have applied for funding using this approach, subsequently, as a result of our initiative. In April 2012 we submitted our funding bid to the ESRC and presented at the July 2012 Mass Observation Conference, where we had several discussions with individuals who were interersted in the longitudinal opportunities offered by the Mass Observation project. We had a long discussion with the historian James Hinton, botjh about the longitudinal opportunities of MOP and how to use MOP metadata to follow individual writers, This researcher has gone on to use the Mass Observation Archive to follow individual writers and explore their life-courses. He has subsequently published a longitudinal piece on 7 Mass Observers. We presented on this research at the Research Methods Festival in July 2014; and we ran a training workshop on longitudinal and mixed-method use of Mass Observation in October 2014. Some of those who attended the Research Methods Festival presentation also attended the training workshop. Workshop attendees included undergraduates, post-graduates, ECRs and established researchers. Feedback was very positive, with researchers very interested in pursuing longitudinal use of Mass Observation |
| Title | New Mass Observation Archive database for writers writing from 1981 onwards |
| Description | An online accessible database, that can be used by any one interested in finding out more about Mass Observation writers (1981 to present day) and their writing behaviours. The database brings together metadata relating to writers, that includes ONS Social Occupation Classification; where writers live; when they joined the Mass Observation Project (MOP), how often they have written for the MOP, what directives they have respondend. This database provides access to previously unused metadata that should enable confident sampling of the writers, by demographic characterstics, length of time involved with the archive, or writing behaviour The data has been analysed to provide users with a brief overview of Mass Observation writers compare to the broader representative UK population, and the UK volunteering population. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Since its launch in July 2016, the database has been well used, showing there is an appetite for this information. We would expect to see an increase in the number of people using the Mass Observation Project longitudinally and as part of mixed methods projects, although it would be difficut to directly evidence a correlation between this increase and use of the database. |
| URL | http://database.massobs.org.uk/ |
| Description | Partnership working with the Mass Observation Archive |
| Organisation | Mass Observation Archive |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Involvement in the archive's digitisation project, donating digitised and transcribed writer's responses to the archive to help with the digitisation project that they were involved in, with the UK Data Archive Development of a cluster bid to the SDAI Secondary Data Analysis Initiative phase 2 Development of a successful SDAI Secondary Data Analysis Initiative phase 2 Invited to speak at a conference, and to take part in a webinar Co-produced a training event held at the Mass Observation Archive's premises in Brighton entitled 'Introducing the Mass Observation Project (1981-2014) as a data resource for researchers Deposition more transcribed and digitised writers' scripts with the archive In the process of developing a third SDAI Secondary Data Analysis bid, to look at measuring protected characteristics of writers, involving Kirsty Pattrick from the MOA as an early career co-investigator Help extended to other researchers working with the MOA Creation of an online, sustainable, downloadable database Discussions with Mass Observation Archive material which has enabled the archive to perceive its writing and metadata on writers and writing as data, which represents a shift in conceptualising archival holdings, and how collection of data takes place. |
| Collaborator Contribution | - Provision of metadata on Mass Observation writers - Help relating to sources and writers when needed, including emails and phonecalls - Provision of digitisation facilities - Attendance at an advisory board - Co-production of ideas, working on a successful Secondary Data Analysis Initiative phase 2 bid 'Defining Mass Observation' working to make the Mass Observation Project writers a more knowable sample, to enable confident use and sampling of the archive -Co-production of ideas, working on a Secondary Data Analysis bid to measure how many writers come from minority groups, and to consider how to recruit further from these groups - Taking part in Skype sessions to discuss progress and to discuss methodologies, such as computer assisted qualitative data analysis of scripts with colleagues at the University of Surrey - Co-produced and hosted training event held at the Mass Observation Archive's premises in Brighton entitled 'Introducing the Mass Observation Project (1981-2014) as a data resource for researchers' |
| Impact | December 2019 began working on a bid entitled 'Misssing voices in the Mass Observation Archive' 2019 submissions to journals for articles on class, on lifecourse, on 'who are the MO writers', and how to use CAQDAS as a tool to analyse MOP writing July 2017 panel at MO Conference, on who are the mass observers, produced 3 highly attended papers, available via MO online 2016 online, downloadable database which enables users to find out more about who mass observation writers are, and to sample from the panel of writers http://database.massobs.org.uk/ From 2016 MOA have developed training materials drawing on the database, which they deliver to individuals, community groups, academics and students from a variety of different disciplines Website on Defining Mass Observation - https://definingmassobservation.wordpress.com/ December 2014, starting work on successful SDAI phase 2 project 'Defining Mass Observation' October 2014 'Introducing the Mass Observation Project (1981-2014) as a data source for researchers' a multidiscilpinary interactive day event for researchers, attendees including established, doctoral, undergraduate and lay researchers. August 2014 - Lindsey R., and Bulloch S.L. 'A sociologist's field notes to the Mass Observation Archive: a consideration of the challenges of 're-using' Mass Observation data in a longitudinal mixed-methods study of civic engagement', 2014, Sociological Research Online April 2013 - Lindsey R. and Bulloch S.L ' How we have used MOA writer's responses to Mass Observation Directives' invited to speak at Mass Observation as Method Conference, organised by the Mass Observation Archive University of Sussex, London. July 2012 - Opportunities and challenges in using longitudinal Mass Observation data for mixed methods research: Lessons learnt from the preparation of a funding bid 75th Anniversary of the Mass Observation Archive Conference, Mass Observation Archive Conference, held at the University of Sussex |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | A recorded discussion piece on Mass Observation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A recorded online discussion between Kirsty Pattrick from the Mass Observation Archive, Dr Rose Lindsey, University of Southampton, and Dr Pollyanna Ruiz from the University of Sussex, on how we use Mass Observation, for would be users of the MOA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | ARNOVA Conference Washington DC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Paper presented at the ARNOVA conference, an international conference attended by third sector organisations, practitioners and policy makers |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Analysis of blog use shows that the website is visited regularly. We have had several emails stating that the website is really interesting. Interest in the substantive findings of the mixed-method project Some website visitors attended our training event in October 2014 Some website visitors have said that they now want to use the Mass Observation Archive One website visitor said she wanted to use mixed-methods |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013,2014 |
| URL | http://longitudinalvolunteering.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | Blog aimed at professionals and volunteers in the third sector, arguing for realism in expectations of change in volunteering levels |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | This was a short summary of our book on volunteering for the main trade paper, Third Sector, in June 2018 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/john-mohan-rose-lindsey-realistic-volunteering/volunteering/article/14... |
| Description | Blog for the general public via The Conversation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Contribution to The Conversation, outlining key findings of our book on volunteering |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://theconversation.com/volunteering-levels-static-since-the-1980s-despite-all-the-efforts-to-inc... |
| Description | Blog published by Policy Press in Volunteers Week, to mark the publication of our major book based on this project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Communcation of findings to a wider audience including both academics and non-academics |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://policypress.wordpress.com/2018/06/05/volunteers-week-the-future-of-volunteering |
| Description | Online booklaunch/webinar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A book launch for an edited book on methods, innovations and challenges relating to undertaking research in the voluntary sector, which was organised by the editors of the book. Contributors gave a short - 3 minute - overview of their chapters, and answered questions on their contribution. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://shu.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=2d9c79b1-5bd4-4402-bb96-ae83009d8296 |
| Description | Presentation "What is Mass Observation" at the National Centre for Research Methods Research Methods Festival in Bath, 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Although the initial audience was a large group of primarily post graduate students at the NCRM Research Methods Festival, the talk was recorded and the slides and recording are available through You Tube and throught the NCRM website and respository. We emphasised the launch of our database during this talk, and we are of the view that this generated interest in the debate. We had c. 350 visits to the database in July, shortly after the database was launched. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uih94QOlwbg |
| Description | Presentation given to Oxford University Department of Sociology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Dr Lindsey was invited by the Dept of Sociology at Oxford University, to discuss the use of Mass Observation Project (MOP) writing to investigate continuity and change in voluntary action 1981-2012. This enabled a mostly post-graduate audience to see how MOP writing could be used longitudinally, to examine voluntary action. It discussed use of metadata, longitudinality, the new MOP database, and other ways in which MOP could be used as a resource for different research projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Presentations at the Mass Observation Archive 80th anniversary conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | We presented three papers which provided attendees with information on how to use the new Mass Observation Project database, and how it can help users of the archive with sampling; on what we have found out about the demographic characteristics of Mass Observation Project writers; and how users of the archive might draw on the 2008 Your Lifeline Mass Observation Project directive to find out more about Mass Observation Project writers. The session sparked many questions and discussions immediately after the presentations, and during the course of the conference. One of the papers delivered was discussed at the final plenary, as being a paper that had contributed much to discussion during the conference. After the conference we received several enquiries from postgraduate students on use of the database, as well as requests for sharing data. We also presented a paper on findings from The Continuity and Change in Volunteering project, which resulted in subsequent discussion amongst attendees, in particular third sector attendees. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.massobs.org.uk/about/news/148-anniversary-conference-celebrating-80-years-of-the-mass-obs... |
| Description | Public lecture: He waka eke noa: are we all in this together? Government-voluntary sector relations in contemporary Britain |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Distinguished visiting lecture, given as part of a visit to the University of Auckland under the auspices of the Seelye Fellowships, in 2020. The visit was truncated by Covid-19 and so it was recorded instead: https://www.policycommons.ac.nz/2020/02/25/public-lecture-bigging-up-society-politics-policy-and-evidence-in-the-british-voluntary-sector/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.policycommons.ac.nz/2020/02/25/public-lecture-bigging-up-society-politics-policy-and-evi... |
| Description | Qualitiative Inquiry conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Discussion of use of archival material for research and the use of computer assisted qualitative data analysis tools for analysing written longitudinal qualitative material |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |