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.
Watch the trailer for our new film
Watch the trailer for our new film ‘The British Election Study: Understanding British Democracy’, now available on YouTube ahead of its launch on December 9. Funded by the School of Social Sciences at The University of Manchester, some of Britain’s top academics and journalists in…
BES September 2014 Annual Report
On Saturday 13th September Professor Ed Fieldhouse gave an overview of the activities and achievements of the British Election Study during its first year, addressing the British Election Study report meeting at the recent Elections, Public Opinion and Parties annual conference in Edinburgh (audience pictured…
Professor Hermann Schmitt gives election keynote address in Iceland
Similar to Britain, Iceland has conducted an uninterrupted series of National Election Studies (ICENES) since 1984. The ICENES is an extensive study of the electoral and political behaviour of voters in Iceland. To mark the 30th anniversary of the ICENES a symposium was held at…
British Election Study Analysis on BBC Vote 2014 with David Dimbleby
With voting in both the Local and European Elections taking place on Thursday 22nd May, Professor Jane Green of the British Election Study team provided up to date analysis of the elections for BBC Breakfast and the Vote 2014 election special program (BBC1 & BBC2)…
British Election Study in the News
On the 7th May 2014, Professor Jane Green of the British Election Study team took part in a Political Studies Association media briefing in Westminster, London. Professor Green’s briefing focused upon whether UKIP’s success at the European Parliament elections in May this year would continue…
British Election Study plans presented at London School of Economics
Professor Jane Green presented plans of the new 2015 British Election Study in a seminar held by British Government@LSE, on 11 September 2013. The seminar was organised by Professor Tony Travers and Professor Simon Hix. Jane’s slides can be downloaded here: LSE slides
2015 BES innovations discussed in Montreal
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)…
British Election Study on BBC Breakfast News
Professor Jane Green, Co-Investigator on the British Election Study, was interviewed by Charlie Stayt and Louise Minchin on BBC Breakfast News following the second leadership debate between Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage. Asked whether she was surprised that…
‘The Evolution of British Electoral Studies’ by David Butler
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
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…