A report (based on findings in the 2004-05 General Household Survey) said that 25 per cent of adults aged 16 or over in Great Britain smoked cigarettes. There had been a steady decline in cigarette smoking, from 28 per cent in 1998/99. In 2004-05, 73 per cent of men and 58 per cent of women had had an alcoholic drink on at least one day during the previous week, similar levels to those in 1998-99.
Source: Eileen Goddard and Hazel Green, General Household Survey 2004: Smoking and drinking among adults, 2004, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release
Date: 2005-Dec
An annual report on social attitudes examined how far the government's policies on health, education, pensions, transport, work-life balance, redistribution, housing, and Europe were in tune with public opinion. The government had caught the public mood by focusing on the National Health Service: but public expectations were higher than the government s targets. There was general support for the government s policies on further and higher education, particularly among the working class - more than three-quarters of people thought that all or some students should pay tuition fees. There was overwhelming support for the idea of personal saving, but many people simply felt unable to put money aside for retirement at the moment.
Source: Alison Park et al. (eds.), British Social Attitudes - The 22nd Report: Two terms of New Labour - the public s reaction, SAGE Publications Ltd (020 7324 8500)
Links: Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Dec
A report summarized the findings of the General Household Survey 2004. Topic areas included: households, families and people; housing and consumer durables; marriage and cohabitation; occupational and personal pension schemes; and general health and use of health services.
Source: Ghazala Sattar, Fiona Glen and Alison Diaper, General Household Survey 2004, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release
Date: 2005-Dec
Households spent on average 434 a week in 2004-05, compared to 418 a week in 2003-04. Transport was the highest category of spending, with an average spend of 60 a week. The second highest category was spending on recreation and culture, at 59 a week.
Source: Catherine Gibbins and Georgina Julian (eds.), Family Spending: A report on the 2004-05 Expenditure and Food Survey, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Report | ONS press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A report described the lives of people aged 50 and over, including information on their characteristics, lifestyles, and experiences. Employment rates for people in their 50s in Great Britain had risen by 7 percentage points for both men and women between 1995 and 2004. But people in their 50s were the most likely to be providing unpaid care. For the very old, there might be barriers which prevented them from participating in a wide variety of activities: these barriers might be financial, or related to health, or lack of transport.
Source: A. Soule, Penny Babb, Maria Evandrou, Stephen Balchin and Linda Zealey (eds.), Focus on Older People: 2005 edition, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Report | ONS press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A paper said that England and Wales became more racially integrated over the period 1991-2001. The number of racially mixed neighbourhoods or wards - where at least 10 per cent of people were from an ethnic minority - increased from 964 to 1,070 in the decade. It was predicted that by 2010 the number would rise to 1,300.
Source: Ludi Simpson, Statistics of Racial Segregation: Measures, evidence and policy, Occasional Paper 24, Centre for Census and Survey Research/University of Manchester (0161 2754891)
Links: Paper | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Nov
An article examined the consistency of individuals' responses to the 1991 and 2001 Census ethnic group questions, and how this affected the ONS Longitudinal Study.
Source: Lucinda Platt, Ludi Simpson and Bola Akinwale, 'Stability and change in ethnic groups in England and Wales', Population Trends 121, Autumn 2005, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Article (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2005-Sep
A report used the Census and Labour Force Survey to provide a detailed analysis of new immigrant communities - defined as those who had arrived since 1990 - from over 50 countries and regions. It presented a comprehensive picture of where they lived and worked, and profiled their education, earnings, age, and gender.
Source: Sarah Kyambi, Beyond Black and White: Mapping new immigrant communities, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: IPPR press release | IAS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Sep
A report presented estimates of household purchases of food and drink in the United Kingdom over the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004, along with historical trends.
Source: Family Food: A report on the 2003-04 Expenditure and Food Survey, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Aug
An annual review was published of demographic and social trends in Scotland.
Source: Scotland's Population 2004, General Register Office for Scotland (0131 314 4243)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jul
A new book explored a wide range of aspects of Scottish society, and reported new evidence on families, incomes, employment and social/political behaviour.
Source: John Ermisch and Robert Wright (eds.), Changing Scotland: Evidence from the British Household Panel Survey, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: ISER press release
Date: 2005-Jul
The Office for National Statistics published an report on family spending. Average spending by children aged 7-15 spent around ?13 per week. The report included the first-ever estimates of all housing costs for households: the average household spent ?116 per week on housing-related costs in 2003-04 - including ?39 on mortgages; ?23 on housing alterations and improvements; ?20 on council tax, water charges and other local taxes and service charges; and ?13 on rent net of rebates and benefits.
Source: Catherine Gibbins (ed.), Family Spending: A report on the 2003-04 Expenditure and Food Survey, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Report (pdf) | ONS press release (1) (pdf) | ONS press release (2) (pdf) | ONS press release (3) (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jun
An article drew together demographic characteristics of people aged 85 and over from various different national data sources to provide an up-to-date picture of the 'oldest old'.
Source: Cecilia Tomassini, 'The demographic characteristics of the oldest old in the United Kingdom', Population Trends 120, Summer 2005, Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Article (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
An article used data from the 1990 and 2000 National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles to identify trends in sexual activity and behaviour.
Source: Kaye Wellings, 'Changing sexual behaviour in the UK', Seven Deadly Sins: A new look at society through an old lens, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Article | ESRC press release
Date: 2005-Jun
The Family Resources Survey report for 2003-04 was published. It summarized information on the incomes and circumstances of a sample of around 29,000 private households in the United Kingdom. Information was set out in eight sections covering background; household characteristics; income and state support receipt; tenure and housing costs; assets and savings; carers; occupation and employment; and methodological aspects of the survey.
Source: Family Resources Survey: United Kingdom 2003-04, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7962 8176)
Links: Report (pdf) | DWP press release (pdf)
Date: 2005-Apr
The 35th edition was published of Social Trends, containing wide-ranging summaries of official statistics on demographic and social issues.
Source: Carol Summerfield and Baljit Gill (eds.), Social Trends No.35 (2005 edition), Office for National Statistics, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Report (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Mar
A discussion paper assessed the degree of uncertainty in fiscal projections caused by demographic uncertainty. The budget deficit was expected to settle at about 4 per cent of national income: but by 2028 there was a 50 per cent chance that it could be outside a range of 3-5 per cent.
Source: James Sefton and Martin Weale, Fiscal Implications of Demographic Uncertainty for the United Kingdom, Discussion Paper 250, National Institute for Economic and Social Research (020 7654 1901)
Links: Discussion paper (pdf) | NIESR press release (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jan