Connecting Society: How everyday data can shape our lives

Ever wondered what happens to all the data collected about you by government and public services? Whenever you sit a school exam, visit your GP, go to court, or pay tax, a wealth of information is created to help these services run. But how is this data used, and could it actually improve your life? Connecting Society explores the fascinating world of administrative data. Through conversations with experts, we reveal how linking data and making it available for research can uncover solutions to real-world, interconnected challenges - from improving health outcomes to tackling inequality and more. Join our hosts, Mark Green, Professor of Health Geography at the University of Liverpool and ADR UK Ambassador, and Shayda Kashef, Senior Public Engagement Manager at ADR UK, to discover how the data shaping your life could also help shape the future. Connecting Society is presented by Shayda Kashef and Mark Green, our producers are Eleanor Collard, Holly Gre

Connecting Society: How everyday data can shape our lives is a science podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 17 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Connecting Society: How everyday data can shape our lives, a science show with 17 episodes published.

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  Episode #9

  What is the census and why does it matter?

  Sep 24, 202626 minS2

  Every ten years, millions of people in England and Wales complete the Census. But why does it matter? Who uses the data, and how does it shape policy decisions on healthcare, education, and local services? In this episode of the Connecting Society podcast, Mark Green talks to Jennet Woolford from the Office for National Statistics about what the Census is, why it has been run for over 200 years, and how Census 2031 is being planned. Discover how the Census uses administrative data, what surprised researchers in the 2001 and 2021 results, and whether the Census will still exist in its current form in future. Topics covered: What is the Census and how does it work? Census history: from 1801 to Census 2031 Why Census data is linked with administrative data COVID pandemic response and Census 2011 data 400,000 Jedis: the 2001 Census religion question How Census data helps plan schools, hospitals and transport ONS consultation on Census 2031 topics Will the Census survive in the age of big data? Privacy and safeguards in Census data collection Links: Catch up with the previous episode on data visualisation: • How can we find the story in the data? | C... Learn more about administrative data: www.adruk.org ONS Census information: www.ons.gov.uk/census About our guest: Jennet Woolford is Director for Social, Local and Census Statistics (SLCS) at the Office for National Statistics. She is responsible for the Analysis Function within ONS and oversees Population User Needs, Research and Engagement, the Census Topic consultation, Crime Statistics, Health Insights Survey, and the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey. Her directorship also encompasses ONS Local Statistics and Analysis work, as well as the Census Statistical Design Division, which shapes the statistical architecture for Census 2031. A professional statistician, Jennet has 25 years of experience working in official statistics. About this podcast: Connecting Society is hosted by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK). We transform public sector data into research insights and policy evidence to improve lives. This podcast explores how everyday data shapes society and affects what we experience. Presented by Shayda Kashef-Tomlins and Mark Green. Producers: Eleanor Collard, Dom Hill, Holly Greenland, Laura Mulvey and Shayda Kashef-Tomlins. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 01:28 – Who is Jennet Woolford? 02:31 – What is the Census? 03:44 – 1801 Census and Napoleonic Wars 05:58 – Census evolution: paper to online 07:13 – Surprising Census findings and Jedis 09:36 – Census data during COVID 11:20 – William Farr and linking death records 12:46 – Administrative data explained 15:00 – Poverty proxies and why they change 17:06 – Census 2031 public consultation 19:30 – Strong cases for new questions 21:30 – Future of the Census 23:20 – Outro and credits Connecting Society is presented by Shayda Kashef-Tomlins and Mark Green, our producers are Eleanor Collard, Holly Greenland, Laura Mulvey and Shayda Kashef. This podcast is brought to you by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK), a partnership transforming public sector data into research insights and policy evidence to improve lives. We are an investment by the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

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  Episode #8

  How can we find the story in the data?

  Aug 27, 202633 minS2

  From elections and economic trends to global crises and social change, we are surrounded by data. But numbers alone do not always tell the full story. The way information is investigated, visualised and communicated can shape how we understand the world around us – what we notice, what we remember, and how we decide what to do next. In this episode, we’ll explore the world of data visualisation and storytelling with Alan Smith OBE, Head of Visual and Data Journalism at the Financial Times. Drawing on his experience leading one of the world’s most influential data journalism teams, Alan will share how journalists uncover stories in data, use visuals and storytelling to explain complex issues, and build trust in an age of misinformation. Connecting Society is presented by Shayda Kashef-Tomlins and Mark Green, our producers are Eleanor Collard, Holly Greenland, Laura Mulvey and Shayda Kashef. This podcast is brought to you by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK), a partnership transforming public sector data into research insights and policy evidence to improve lives. We are an investment by the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

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  Connecting Society: How everyday data can shape our lives

  Live Episode: Pint of Science part two - Is stabbing someone with a fork "knife crime"? What administrative data reveals about violence in the UK

  Jul 30, 202639 min

  A fork used as a weapon. Scissors used to cut off someone's hair without consent. A knife nobody actually sees. Criminologist Professor Iain Brennan puts this Pint of Science audience through a live quiz, revealing that there's no single legal definition of "knife crime". What counts depends entirely on how the government chooses to measure it. Iain, Professor of Criminology at the University of Hull, joins hosts Shayda Kashef-Tomlins and Mark Green to share findings from his ADR UK-backed research. Children excluded from school are 22 times more likely to have a caution or conviction for serious violence by age 20. But using a target trial method borrowed from clinical drug trials, matching excluded children with similar peers who weren't excluded, Iain's team found the true effect is smaller, though still serious: exclusion roughly doubles the risk. Elsewhere, Iain explains why England and Wales are living through some of the safest times in our history, despite public anxiety about knife crime, and why women remain badly underserved by administrative crime data, particularly for domestic abuse and sexual violence. The episode closes with audience questions on what this could mean for policing and one of criminology's enduring puzzles: why violent crime has fallen globally for 25 years. Recorded live at a Pint of Science event, in partnership with Pint of Science and ADR UK. In this episode: The knife crime quiz: forks, scissors and zombie knives, tested against the government's official definition The impact of exclusion from school on the risk of serious violence, and why the "22 to 1" headline figure is misleading Why women are badly underserved by administrative crime data, particularly for domestic abuse and sexual violence The difference between using linked data for research versus real-time policing decisions How violent crime has been declining globally for 25 years, and why nobody understands the full reason About our guest Iain Brennan is Professor of Criminology at the University of Hull, a chartered research psychologist and the University's Institutional Lead for Open Research. His research focuses on violence prevention, including weapon-carrying, serious violence and domestic abuse, with a particular interest in evaluating interventions through randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs and process evaluations. He advises on violence prevention for organisations including the Home Office, Youth Endowment Fund, College of Policing, National Police Chiefs' Council and police forces across the UK. He has led over 20 funded research projects worth more than £8 million, and is currently principal investigator on the UK's largest-ever community violence trial, funded by the Youth Endowment Fund. He is the author of over 60 journal articles, reports, chapters and books, an editor of the British Journal of Criminology and an ADR UK Ambassador. Missed part one? Catch up with Alice on how educational data reveals the impact of school experiences on life opportunities: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2058571/episodes/19400604 Get involved Our regular format returns next time. Got a burning data question? Send it in for our bonus Q&A episode later this year. See the episode description for how to get in touch. Want to know more about administrative data? Visit: www.adruk.org Views expressed by the guest do not necessarily reflect the views of ADR UK. Timestamps 00:00 – ADR UK at Pint of Science: Part 2 01:41 – The 160-Year History of Knife Crime Data 06:23 – Is a Fork a Knife? The Knife Crime Quiz 11:22 – How Police & Hospitals Map Crime Hotspots 14:35 – Does School Exclusion Cause Violent Crime? 22:47 – The Psychology of Violence: Respect & Survival 25:49 – Why Domestic & Sexual Abuse Data Is Flawed 28:00 – Do Disruptive Students Harm Classmates? 31:25 – Can Data Prevent Crime in Real Time? 33:58 – Predictive Policing & The Global Crime Drop 37:33 – Wrapping Up ADR UK at Pint of Science Connecting Society is presented by Shayda Kashef-Tomlins and Mark Green, our producers are Eleanor Collard, Holly Greenland, Laura Mulvey and Shayda Kashef. This podcast is brought to you by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK), a partnership transforming public sector data into research insights and policy evidence to improve lives. We are an investment by the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

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  Episode #6

  Live episode: Pint of Science part one - The everyday data that shapes our lives

  Jun 25, 202627 minS2

  <p>This month’s episode of the Connecting Society podcast looks a little different. ADR UK recently took part in Pint of Science, a worldwide science festival which brings researchers to the pub to share their knowledge with local communities. At the event, we recorded a special two-part live episode of the podcast – part one is available now!<br/><br/>For the first part of the episode, the audience heard from ADR UK Research Fellow Dr Alice Wickersham. Alice explained how administrative data – information routinely collected by schools, hospitals, workplaces and other public services as part of their day-to-day operations – can be u...

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• 

  Episode #6

  Live episode: Pint of Science part one - The everyday data that shapes our lives

  Jun 25, 202627 minS2

  This month’s episode of the Connecting Society podcast looks a little different. ADR UK recently took part in Pint of Science, a worldwide science festival which brings researchers to the pub to share their knowledge with local communities. At the event, we recorded a special two-part live episode of the podcast. For part one, the audience heard from ADR UK Research Fellow Dr Alice Wickersham. Alice explained how administrative data – information routinely collected by schools, hospitals, workplaces and other public services as part of their day-to-day operations – can be used for research that answers important social questions. Want to know more about administrative data? Visit: adruk.org Connecting Society is presented by Shayda Kashef-Tomlins and Mark Green, our producers are Eleanor Collard, Holly Greenland, Laura Mulvey and Shayda Kashef-Tomlins. This podcast is brought to you by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK), a partnership transforming public sector data into research insights and policy evidence to improve lives. We are an investment by the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation. Views expressed in interviews are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of ADR UK. Connecting Society is presented by Shayda Kashef and Mark Green, our producers are Eleanor Collard, Holly Greenland, Laura Mulvey and Shayda Kashef. This podcast is brought to you by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK), a partnership transforming public sector data into research insights and policy evidence to improve lives. We are an investment by the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

  ListenShow Notes

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