Inclusive Data Principle 4: Disaggregation
About Principle 4: Improve the UK data infrastructure to enable robust and reliable disaggregation and intersectional analysis across the full range of relevant groups and populations, and at differing levels of geography.
There are 51 commitments under Principle 4. Figure 5 shows the distribution of the commitments by their RAG status. The majority of commitments are complete or green, with both at 45%. Below we describe a project completed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport which boosted sample size to disseminate granular data.
Figure 5: RAG status of all 51 IDTF commitments under Inclusive Data Principle 4
Case study: Increase in sample size for the Participation Survey and Community Life Survey to provide more geographic granularity, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Commitment:
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will explore the feasibility of merging multiple years of Community Life Survey (CLS) data to produce a pooled dataset to facilitate greater analysis of sub-groups. They will also explore the feasibility of producing small area estimates to increase the potential for analysis of smaller geographical areas. The sample size for the Participation Survey will also be increased to enable estimates to be produced at a lower level of geography.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sports’ Participation Survey is a digital-first survey, with respondents encouraged to complete the survey online with paper survey option where needed. The Participation Survey entered its 4th year in April 2024 and is a robust, nationally representative survey of people aged 16 and over in England The survey collects data on engagement in the cultural sectors, major cultural and sporting events, live sport and gambling, and the digital sectors. It also gathers information on demographics, including age, disability and education, and related areas including wellbeing and loneliness. The findings contribute to the evidence base for a number of policy areas, enable the monitoring of the accessibility of DCMS sectors, and provide valuable information on engagement.
The Participation Survey replaced the Taking Part survey, which ended in March 2020. While moving from a face-to-face survey to a push-to-web survey, DCMS increased the sample size from 10,000 to 33,000. Paper surveys are always available on request. The increased sample size allows for county-level statistics. It has also allowed DCMS to analyse and publish more granular demographic breakdowns, including by ethnicity and by religion.
In addition, as a result of a partnership with Arts Council England, the sample for the 2023/24 survey was increased further to 175,000, allowing for meaningful Local Authority (LA) level estimates. Statistics from this data set will be published in July 2024, allowing for more granularity in the survey than ever before. The plan is to boost the survey from county level to LA level once every 3 years, with the next boost planned for 2025/26. This LA level data will support a range of user needs, and will play a key role in supporting Arts Council England’s ‘Let’s Create’ strategy.
The Community Life Survey (CLS), which is also available online and in paper mode, also collects data on demographics including age, disability, and ethnicity, from adults aged 16 and over in England. The main themes the survey covers are community engagement, volunteering and social cohesion. This enables analysis of essential core topics including interaction with friends and family, feelings of belonging and satisfaction regarding their neighbourhood, and levels of happiness, satisfaction, anxiety and loneliness.
For the survey years of 2023/24 and 2024/25, DCMS are partnering with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. This will enable an increase in the sample size from approximately 10,000 to 175,000, which will mean LA level estimates can be produced. Additional questions on Pride in Place and Life Chances will also be included. Next statistics from this data set will be published in autumn 2024.
DCMS also commissioned a research report to explore the suitability of using a model-based method to obtain LA level metrics for the Community Life Survey. This will be published in due course.
DCMS is currently undertaking a strategic review, including consultation of the survey needs of the department covering the Participation Survey and Community Life Survey. DCMS are considering options for the structure of social surveys in the future, ensuring that meeting user needs and achieving value for money remains at the forefront of any survey design.
Back to top