About BSA
Every year the British Social Attitudes survey asks over 3,000 people what it’s like to live in Britain and how they think Britain is run. The survey tracks people’s changing social, political and moral attitudes and informs the development of public policy. It has been conducted annually since 1983 (it’s 25 years old this year) and is NatCen's longest running survey. So far over 80,000 people have taken part. You can currently read online:
Since 1983 we have been finding out what people in Britain think about work, transport, health, education, government spending and voting habits, as well as religion, racism and illegal drugs. You can see a snapshot of how people’s views have changed over the past 25 years by visiting the BSA Series Findings section.
The British Social Attitudes reports are published by Sage and individual chapters can be purchased from Download-it.
New questions are added each year to reflect current issues, but all questions are designed with a view to repeating them periodically to chart changes over time. Our latest survey gauges the public mood on important social issues such as the NHS and air travel.
We think attitudes matter
- Finding out what people think helps everyone understand Britain better. It helps us explain important things like why people are less likely to vote in elections, or understand why we have become more tolerant about things like sex outside marriage.
- Policy-makers need to understand what people think and feel, and why, if they are to develop effective public policy.
- Without accurate information about public attitudes we end up with biased results or have to rely on personal anecdotes or stereotypes about what different groups think.
Accessing the data
The British Social Attitudes survey is funded by a range of charitable and government sources.
Each year results from the survey are written up in the British Social Attitudes report. This summarises and interprets data from the most recent nationwide survey, as well as drawing invaluable comparisons with the findings of previous years to provide a richer picture and deeper understanding of changing British social values.
If you would like to speak to someone about previous reports please contact us.