National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM)
You can find training materials and resources on methodology through the NCRM. The centre aims to increase research methods capability in the social sciences and beyond through training and capacity-building. It also:
- coordinates methods training funded by ESRC
- acts as a first point of contact for social scientists seeking information and training on research methods
- shares good practice.
Research Centre on Micro-Social Change (MiSoC)
The Research Centre on Micro-Social Change examines how behaviours, outcomes and attitudes for individuals, households and families are influenced by, and themselves influence, the wider processes of macro-social change.
Find out more about the Research Centre on Micro-Social Change.
UK Data Service
The UK Data Service can give you social and economic data including:
- UK census data
- government-funded surveys
- longitudinal studies
- international macrodata
- qualitative data and business microdata.
Resources include tools to analyse census data, and secure access to data that is too detailed, sensitive or confidential to be made available under a standard licence.
Find out more about UK Data Service.
Understanding Society – the UK household longitudinal study
You can access data on how life is changing in the UK through the Understanding Society UK household longitudinal study based at the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex. Around 40,000 households have contributed to the study, which helps researchers to understand the life courses of the whole population over time. The study also collects health information from around 20,000 participants.
Find out more about Understanding Society.
Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK)
ADR UK links together data held by different parts of government, and facilitates safe and secure access for approved researchers to these newly joined-up and anonymised datasets.
You can find out what data is available for research, and which routes you can access it through, on ADR UK’s website.
Digital footprint data
You can access data arising from people’s interactions with technology and business organisations through three data research centres funded by ESRC:
- Urban Big Data Centre – big data and data-driven analytics about social, economic and environmental wellbeing in cities
- Business and Local Government Data Research Centre – access to funding, training and world-leading expertise in data analytics
- Consumer Data Research Centre – consumer data that provides insight into societal and economic challenges.
The centres make data accessible for research that is of mutual benefit to data owners and in ways that safeguard individuals’ identities.