The Economic and Social Research Council supports the creation of new insights from research and datasets around elections and governance in the UK and across the world to give the public the data, evidence and analysis they need to build trust and confidence in governments and democracy.
We fund research and data collections to give insights and evidence into politics, elections and governance, both in the UK and overseas.
Our researchers and data collections help the public and politicians to understand important topics including EU Exit, the climate emergency and global security, and provide valuable insight into public opinion on political issues and matters of governance.
Studying elections across the UK’s nations and regions
Elections sit at the very heart of our political system in the UK, they are how we pick the politicians who will form our governments and implement public policies, from health and education through to justice and defence. ESRC funds research into and data collections from elections to help the public understand trends that emerge through voting and have confidence in the results of polls.
The investments we support include:
- the British Election Study which has analysed every UK Parliament General Election since 1964
- examinations of the Holyrood and Cardiff votes through the Scottish Election Study and the Welsh Election Study
- The Northern Ireland Assembly Election Study and the Northern Ireland General Election Study
Once parliamentary elections are held, governments can be formed, and our researchers can drill down into government policy to assess its impact, again helping to keep voters informed. Our researchers generate the evidence needed to influence government policy in areas including childcare, health and waste recycling. They create resources to improve policy decision-making on issues such as local economic growth.
Analysing the UK’s place in the world
ESRC’s efforts extend beyond our own shores, with researchers examining how important factors such as democracy and governance come into play around the globe. Research we funded has also helped the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office through the Safeguarding elections and strengthening accountability in new democracies project.
We also support research across the broad area of migration, including work that focuses on how to build a prosperous and inclusive future for communities affected by mass displacement. For example, the RELIEF Centre’s research focuses on how to measure prosperity and growth in Lebanon, looking at measures of wellbeing, education and employment.
The Trans-Atlantic Platform will deepen our understanding of opportunities, challenges, and crises, relevant to democracy, governance and trust. The findings of the research aim to support how conditions for democracy, governance and trust can be maintained, fostered, rebuilt and nurtured through a range of interventions and initiatives.
Other investments that collect data relevant to politics and governance include:
- The UK in the World Values Survey
- European Social Survey
- International Social Survey Programme
- National Centre for Social Research
- Understanding Society
ESRC works in partnership with academics in universities as well as partners within government departments. This includes politicians from across the UK political spectrum through our support of the UK Parliament’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Science and Policy.
Working in partnership also means bringing together other parts of society to share their experience and expertise. For example, the Smart Data Research UK (SDR UK) initiative is funding the Geographic Data Service that connects different types of data through geography to study important social issues.
The Healthy and Sustainable Places Data Service addresses challenges affecting health and sustainability in the UK by building access to data that has historically been beyond the reach of the research community and policymakers. And our investment in Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) brings together public sector data across the UK to ensure policies and decisions can draw on the best evidence available.