The UK Data Archive at the University of Essex is a specialist national resource containing the largest collection of accessible computer readable data in the social sciences and humanities in the United Kingdom. It disseminates data throughout the United Kingdom and, by arrangement with other national archives, internationally. The Archive is funded jointly by the University of Essex , the ESRC and JISC . Founded in 1967, the UK Data Archive now houses several thousand datasets of interest to researchers in all sectors and from many different disciplines. The UK Data Archive houses many major government series as well as major studies from academic and private sources. The UK Central Government (e.g. the Office for National Statistics) is a regular supplier of national repeated surveys such as: the Labour Force Survey; the General Household Survey; the British Crime Survey; and the Health Survey For England. Significant academic studies include: the British Household Panel Survey; the British Social Attitudes Survey; and the National Child Development Study. The entire collection spans some 4500 studies, a number of which fall neatly into generic groupings, such as Census data and major data series (repeated surveys), that represent distinct collections.
The History Data Service collects, preserves, and promotes the use of digital resources, which result from or support historical research, learning and teaching. It also plays a leading role in promoting standards and providing advice and training about creating, describing, using and preserving historical digital resources, and in the development of online data and metadata delivery systems to enhance access to their collection. The collection covers a wide range of historical topics, and brings together over 500 separate data collections transcribed, scanned or compiled from historical sources. The collection covers a time period from the late tenth century to the twentieth century, and although the primary focus is on the UK, it includes a significant body of cross-national and international data collections. Examples of topics covered include: nineteenth and twentieth century statistics, manuscript census records, state finance data, demographic data, mortality data, community histories, electoral history, and economic indicators.
The Qualitative Data Service (Qualidata) provides a national service for the acquisition, dissemination and re-use of qualitative data from the social science research. It is a specialist unit housed within the UK Data Archive. Sources of qualitative data derive from more formal social science research projects to ad hoc collections of interviews conducted by various means, such as community projects. Where possible these data are stored and disseminated electronically via the UKDA, but the Centre also deposits data with a range of prestigious archives across the country. One very successful aim has been to locate and preserve data from UK based 'classic studies', such the well known community studies of Young and Willmot, Elizabeth Bott and the research papers of leading pioneers of social research, such as Paul Thompson and Peter Townsend.
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- 1970 British Cohort Study
- Administrative History Datasets
- British Crime Survey, 1982-
- British Election Studies
- British Household Panel Survey, 1991-
- British Social Attitudes, 1983-
- Crimes of Violence Datasets
- Cultural History Datasets
- Data collections by subject held at the UK Data Archive
- Ecclesiastical and Religious History Datasets
- European social survey data available via the UK Data Archive
- Families, Social Mobility and Ageing, an Intergenerational Approach (100 Families)
- Family Expenditure Survey, 1961-2001
- Gender History Datasets
- General Household Survey, 1971 -
- Health Survey for England, 1991-
- Historical Geography Datasets
- Imperial and Colonial History Datasets
- Intellectual History Datasets
- Labour Force Survey, 1975-
- Military, Naval and Maritime History Datasets
- Northern Ireland datasets held at the UK Data Archive
- Scottish datasets held at the UK Data Archive
- Transport History Datasets
- Urban History Datasets
- Welsh datasets held at the UK Data Archive
- Workplace Employee Relations Survey, 1980-1998
