Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The research comprised a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,000 economically active people of working age (males aged 16-64 years and females aged 16-59). The study was conducted against a background of a number of reforms to employment law, including provisions relating to parental leave and dependant care, a national minimum wage, working time regulations and disability discrimination. The main aims of the study were: to assess individuals’ awareness of their employment rights and entitlements; to ascertain individuals’ levels of knowledge about more detailed aspects of their rights; to establish where people turn to for information and advice about employment issues; to determine how people exercise their rights and whether they know how to do so; to examine a range of personal and work/job-related characteristics for their impact on the above.

Main Topics:

The questionnaire collected three broad types of information, including: background characteristics for each respondent: personal, demographic, employment and employer details; individual experience of problems with employment law or in the exercise of rights; respondents' awareness and knowledge of the law.

One-stage stratified or systematic random sample

stratified by telephone exchange code and selected by random digit dialling

Telephone interview