News
UK Data Service version of 2017 face-to-face released
We are pleased to announce the release of the UK Data Service (UKDS) deposited version of the 2017 BES face-to-face survey. As well as all variables released in previous versions of the 2017 face-to-face, the UKDS version contains a small number of additional variables that…
Request for feedback on suggestions for Wave 15 of the BES panel
As part of a recent BES extension provided by the ESRC, which runs to end March 2019, the BES is able to field an additional wave, which we’ll be doing soon as a pre-Brexit wave (or during, depending on fieldwork and political events). This will…
BES Internet Panel Wave 14 Data Released + MII and NS-SEC Updates
The British Election Study is pleased to announce the release of wave 14 of the British Election Study Internet Panel. Wave 14 was conducted in May 2018, after the local election. In total 31,063 respondents took wave 14 of the British Election Study. 20,393 of…
Youthquake – a reply to our critics
In the wake of the release of the 2017 BES face-to-face data, and our analysis that showed no evidence of a surge in youth turnout at the 2017 election, some commentators have challenged our findings. The key message of our original article (published on…
Women, men, and the 2017 general election. By Jane Green and Chris...
With the forthcoming centenary of the Representation of the People’s Act 1918, it is timely to ask whether women are equally engaged in voting, whether they vote differently to men, and how this might have played out in the most recent general election in June…
The myth of the 2017 youthquake election
By Chris Prosser, Ed Fieldhouse, Jane Green, Jonathan Mellon, and Geoff Evans In the wake of the surprise outcome of the 2017 election people began to look for an explanation for Labour’s unexpectedly good performance. One explanation quickly became prominent: Jeremy Corbyn had mobilised previously…
British Election Study 2017 Face-to-face survey v1.0: Release note
This note accompanies the release of the 2017 British Election Study face to face survey (version 1.0). Dataset and documentation The dataset and additional documentation are available to download here. Citation Fieldhouse, E., J. Green., G. Evans., H. Schmitt, C. van der Eijk, J. Mellon and…
Swings and roundabouts: the potential electoral consequences of Labour’s position on Europe.
In light of previous BES research which demonstrated how Labour relied on the Remain vote at the 2017 general election, it is not surprising that many regarded Labour’s rethinking on transitional arrangements for leaving the EU as electorally opportunistic. But how much difference might we…
Did people vote for Jeremy Corbyn because they thought he would lose?
By Jon Mellon and Chris Prosser In the run up to the election, many commentators and even some MPs suggested that people might vote labour despite Jeremy Corbyn and not because of him. People could do this, the argument went, because they could be safe…
What was it all about? The 2017 election campaign in voters’ own...
The 2017 election campaign was the most remarkable in recent British political history. As the dust settles on the election, many politicians and commentators have put their spin on why the campaign saw such dramatic changes in vote intentions. But what did the voters themselves…