A briefing paper used data from the 1991 and 2001 Censuses to describe the distribution of the main minority ethnic groups, and how it had changed, both across Great Britain as a whole and in the four largest conurbations.
Source: Ruth Lupton and Anne Power, Minority Ethnic Groups in Britain, CASE-Brookings Census Briefs 2, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion/London School of Economics (020 7955 6679)
Links: Brief part 1 (pdf) | Brief part 2 (pdf) | Brief part 3 (pdf)
Date: 2004-Dec
The 21st report of British Social Attitudes was published. It looked at: what people felt about being British, and their attitudes to immigration; what young people thought about working mothers, cohabiting, premarital sex and lone parents; how young people engaged with politics and politicians; people s attitudes to government social policies, and proposals on devolution and regional assemblies; people's feelings about genetic modification in food and in medical technology; and how people used the internet, and its impact or otherwise on their political activity.
Source: Alison Park, John Curtice, Katarina Thomson, Catherine Bromley and Miranda Phillips (eds.), British Social Attitudes: The 21st Report, SAGE Publications Ltd (020 7324 8500)
Links: Natcen press release (Word file) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Dec
A report examined British Muslims' feelings of loyalty and satisfaction with life in the United Kingdom, as well as their loyalty to their faith and religious laws. Almost 80 per cent of respondents saw little or no problem in combining British citizenship and Islamic values. Discrimination, poor media representation and British foreign policy were the main barriers to social cohesion.
Source: Saied Reza Ameli and Arzu Merali, Dual Citizenship: British, Islamic or Both?, Islamic Human Rights Commission (020 8904 4222)
Links: IHRC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
A report said that 15 per cent of people in Great Britain (8.6 million people) said they had no religion, according to the 2001 Census. 72 per cent of people (41 million) identified themselves as Christian, making it the largest religious group. Muslims were the second largest religious group (1.6 million) and the information provided by them shows a young, tightly clustered, and often disadvantaged, community.
Source: Focus on Religion, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Oct
A report presented data for 24 cities in the United Kingdom under a range of headings, including social cohesion, urban competitiveness, urban liveability, and urban governance.
Source: Urban Audit, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Oct
A statistical compendium for the Church of England included new maps showing the geographical spread of infant baptism and of rural and city parishes, combined with attendance statistics for 2002.
Source: Church Statistics 2002, Church of England, available from Church House Publishing (020 7898 1451)
Links: Report (pdf) | C of E press release
Date: 2004-Sep
Interim projections of the numbers of households (2002-based) for England indicated an additional 189,000 households each year, compared with 150,000 in the previous (1996-based) projections, for the period 2001-2021. 55 per cent of the additional households were projected to be in London, the South East and the East. (The statistics were 'interim' since the projections would be fully updated in 2005 to take account of 2003-based population projections and household formation rates from the 2001 Census.)
Source: Interim 2002-based Household Projections, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report (Excel file) | Summary (Word file) | ODPM press release | CPRE press release
Date: 2004-Sep
The results were published from the 2003 Scottish Household Survey Annual Report. It provided detailed information about people living in Scotland, particularly relating to transport, social justice and housing.
Source: Chris Martin et al., Scotland's People: Results from the 2003 Scottish Household Survey Annual Report, Scottish Executive (0131 556 8400)
Links: Report
Date: 2004-Aug
A report based on the 2001 Census said that 9 out of 10 people in England and Wales believed they enjoyed good health. But there were substantial geographical and occupational variations.
Source: Focus on Health, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release (pdf) | Age Concern press release
Date: 2004-Jul
A report presented data on food and drink consumption in the United Kingdom in 2002-03, along with historical trends. It included estimates of average consumption, expenditure, and energy and nutrient intakes.
Source: Family Food: A report on the 2002-03 Expenditure and Food Survey, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | Report (pdf links)
Date: 2004-Jul
A think-tank report said there was research evidence that 'baby boomers' (those who reached adulthood in the 1960s) were seeing their wealth and leisure as an opportunity to do in style things that they might not have been able to afford in their youth.
Source: James Harkin and Julia Huber, Eternal Youths: How the baby boomers are having their time again, Demos, available from Central Books (020 8986 5488)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary | Demos press release
Date: 2004-Jul
A report (based on the 2001 Census) said that nearly 9 in 10 people in England and Wales lived in cities, towns and other urbanised areas. The proportion of people living in urban areas had slightly increased since 1991, by 0.2 per cent.
Source: Census 2001: Key Statistics for Urban Areas in England and Wales, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf links) | ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
A report brought together studies by a group of leading researchers who used large-scale datasets to explore the health, incomes, education, employment, families, relationships and social attitudes of the people of Britain.
Source: Iain Stewart and Romesh Vaitilingam (eds.), Seven Ages of Man and Woman: A look at life in Britain in the second Elizabethan era, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report (pdf) | ESRC press release (1) | ESRC press release (2) | ESRC press release (3) | ESRC press release (4) | ESRC press release (5) | ESRC press release (6) | ESRC press release (7) | ESRC press release (8) | ESRC press release (9) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
A report assessed the relative importance of demographic, socio-economic, social and environmental factors for overall health and well-being in Northern Ireland, based on new analyses of the 1997 and 2001 Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Surveys.
Source: Robert Miller, Paula Devine and Dirk Schubotz, Secondary Analysis of the 1997 and 2001 Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Surveys, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 0500)
Links: Report (pdf) | NIE press release
Date: 2004-May
A new book offered an 'at a-glance' guide to social change in the United Kingdom, based on a comprehensive analysis of the 2001 Census and comparisons with the findings of the 1991 Census.
Source: Daniel Dorling and Bethan Thomas, People and Places: A 2001 Census atlas of the UK, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-May
A report painted a detailed picture of people aged 50 and over in Britain, including information on their characteristics, lifestyles and experiences. Older people made up an increasing proportion of the population, and were as varied as any other group. Many led active and healthy lives for many years over the age of 50. However, for the very old, there might be barriers which prevented them from participating in a wide variety of activities - either financial, or related to health or lack of transport.
Source: Focus on Older People, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-May
A report provided information on various aspects of the lives of older people in Scotland, based on the first four years of the Scottish Household Survey and supplemented by the Census 2001, government statistics and other survey data.
Source: Gillian Raab and Charlotte MacDonald, Older People in Scotland: Results from the Scottish Household Survey 1999-2000, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Date: 2004-May
A report provided baseline data about faith communities in England and Wales. Almost 4 out of every 5 people expressed a religious affiliation. The largest number (74 per cent) described themselves as Christians. Muslims (2 per cent) and Hindus (1 per cent) were the largest of the remaining faith communities.
Source: Maria O Beirne, Religion in England and Wales: Findings from the 2001 Citizenship Survey, Research Study 274, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Study (pdf) | Home Office press release
Date: 2004-May
The results of the 2002 General Household Survey were published. (The General Household Survey is a multi-purpose continuous survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics, which since 1971 has collected information on a wide range of topics from people living in private households in Great Britain.)
Source: Leicha Rickards, Kate Fox, Caroline Roberts, Lucy Fletcher and Eileen Goddard, Living in Britain: No 31 - Results from the 2002 General Household Survey, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
The Family Resources Survey report for the period April 2002 to March 2003 was published - the first in the annual series to include data for Northern Ireland. The report summarised 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 2002-03, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7962 8176)
Links: Report (pdf) | DWP press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Mar
Researchers explored the characteristics and circumstances of families in 2002, based on analysis of the Families and Children Study. 1 in 10 mothers described their health over the previous 12 months as not good . Parents of children aged 14-15 reported that 1 in 20 had been in contact with the police in the previous year, while 13 per cent were reported to have had problems with smoking, drinking or drugs. Of families with children, 5 per cent of couple families had no parent working any hours per week, but almost half (47 per cent) of lone parents were not working any hours. The barriers to work most frequently identified by mothers who were not looking to return to work were: a desire to spend time with their children (45 per cent), illness/disability (14 per cent), and affordability of childcare (12 per cent). Of lone-parent families, 34 per cent had a total family income of less than 200 per week, compared to 5 per cent of couple families. A fifth of all families in 2002 were in receipt of working families tax credit. Among families where at least one child had a non-resident parent, 52 per cent had an order or agreement for child support in place; of those with an order or assessment, 64 per cent had actually received payments. Being out of work had the strongest relationship with material deprivation: 26 per cent of both lone-parent and couple families with no one working, or working less than 16 hours per week, went without four or more leisure activities.
Source: Matt Barnes and Maxine Willitts, Families and Children in Britain: Findings from the 2002 Families and Children study (FACS), Research Report 206, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Links: Report | Summary (pdf) | DWP press release | Community Care report
Date: 2004-Mar
Household spending in the United Kingdom in 2002-03 averaged 406 per week, with the lowest income groups spending 135 and those in the highest decile spending 883.
Source: Anthony Craggs (ed.), Family Spending: Report on the 2002 2003 Expenditure and Food Survey, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf) | Help the Aged press release
Date: 2004-Feb
The 34th edition of Social Trends was published, describing social trends in the United Kingdom by drawing on a wide range of statistics. The report featured a special article on ageing and gender, looking at the implications of ageing for both men and women today, including living arrangements, income and poverty.
Source: Carol Summerfield and Penny Babb (eds.), Social Trends: No. 34 - 2004 edition, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jan
A report drew together information from the 2001 Census to provide an overview of the lives of men and women in contemporary society. It included information on their characteristics, experiences and lifestyles, placing particular emphasis on gender differences.
Source: Focus on Gender, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jan
A report by the Office for National Statistics brought together a wide range of demographic information about the Welsh people - those living in Wales and elsewhere. Wales was found to have a growing but ageing population, with an increasing proportion of residents coming from outside its borders. National identity was strong, reinforced by the increase in people able to speak the Welsh language, particularly among the young. Despite this strength of identity, Wales had an increasingly diverse mix of cultures and ethnic backgrounds, centred around Cardiff and its other major towns and cities.
Source: Focus on Wales: Its People, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | Report (Welsh) | ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jan
A report drew together information from the 2001 Census to provide an overview of ethnic groups in the United Kingdom. It included information on their characteristics, lifestyles and experiences, placing particular emphasis on comparing and contrasting the main groups. Around 80 per cent of people from ethnic minority groups saw themselves as British.
Source: Focus on Ethnicity and Identity, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jan
An article said that between 1995 and 2000 the amount of unpaid adult care provided in the United Kingdom increased by around 10 per cent. The value of voluntary work done in the same period fell by almost 26 per cent.
Source: Perry Francis and Harminder Tiwana, 'Unpaid household production in the United Kingdom, 1995 2000', Economic Trends, January 2004, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Article (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jan
Ward-level benefits data was published for mid 2002. The data covered all Census wards within England and Wales at August 2002.
Source: Press release 22 January 2004, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7712 2171)
Links: DWP press release (pdf) | Data webpage (Excel links)
Date: 2004-Jan