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News - BES Impact

One of the priorities of the 2015 British Election Study team is to maximize the use and reach of BES data and BES research findings. BES data provides in-depth understanding of the way representative democracy functions in British elections. It provides unique insights into British public opinion, participation, attitudes towards politics and explanations of electoral outcomes. The 2015 BES team is maximizing the usefulness and impact of the BES via:

• An extensive programme of events between 2013 and 2017 in England, Scotland and Wales.
• The release of BES findings for dissemination via national media outlets.
• Expert commentary in national and international media.
• Partnership with the Electoral Commission to study individual electoral registration effects, culminating in a joint report.
• A BES data playground to allow any interested user to access and analyse BES data online (coming soon). We expect this tool to be particularly useful to non-academic researchers in government, political parties, campaigns, charities and think tanks, and to journalists. This will also be of special use to undergraduate and graduate students wishing to explore BES data.
• An Advisory Board with significant expertise in election studies and research into electoral behaviour.

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2015 BES innovations discussed in Montreal

The British Election Study Team

Professor Ed Fieldhouse presented new innovations in the 2015 British Election Study at a workshop of election specialists hosted by Professor Andre Blais (University of Montreal) in March 2014. Ed highlighted innovations in the 2015 BES: User experiments and proposals (‘playground’ items e.g. certainty scales)…

‘The Evolution of British Electoral Studies’ by David Butler

The British Election Study Team
20/03/2014

David Butler is Emeritus Professor at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. David ran the first British Election Study survey in 1964 with Professor Donald Stokes. He is viewed by many as the inspiration for the subsequent study of British elections. David is a highly respected colleague and…

BES data used by Democratic Audit

The British Election Study Team
13/03/2014

Richard Berry and Anthony Mcdonnell from the Democratic Audit use data from the 2011 census, the British Election Study and OECD data on voting patterns to comment on how highly educated young people are less likely to vote than older people with much lower levels…

British Election Study in The Guardian Newspaper

The British Election Study Team
11/03/2014

Severin Carrell of the Guardian referred to the British Election Study’s analysis of the Scottish independence as an “exciting aspect” of the ESRC’s Future of UK and Scotland initiative, of which the British Election Study #indyref study is part. Carrell wrote, “In addition the British Election…

Cardiff BES consultation event

The British Election Study Team
10/01/2014

What Welsh Voters Think and How They Behave in Elections: A Consultation on the British Election Study Internet Panel  The British Election Study team organised a seminar on the afternoon of Friday 10th January 2014 at which they set out its plans for analysing Welsh voters’ attitudes…

British Election Study appoints Stakeholder Group

The British Election Study Team

The British Election Study will benefit from the insights and experience of members of a new British Election Stakeholder Group. This group was invited by the BES team to ensure that BES data represents and reaches a broad range of users outside of academia, as…