Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This survey was undertaken in order to understand the processes involved in economic and political socialisation of young people aged 16-19 in four British localities; Swindon,Sheffield, Liverpool and Kirkcaldy An associated qualitative dataset, Economic and Political Socialisation, 16-19 : a Scottish Study, 1987-1989, which covers the Kircaldy sample only, is available as SN: 4926

Main Topics:

Education, training and employment; social relationships and domestic careers; politics; identity formation and development. Measurement Scales Self-completion questionnaires used on three occasions: 1987, 1988, 1989. Batteries of attitude items mostly in Likert format were used, some of which were based on measures used in earlier studies by the principal researchers, e.g. Employment commitment (Banks), Attitude to new technology, Self-efficacy, Estrangement (Breakwell), Attitude to authority (Emler). For further details see: Bynner, J. ESRC 16-19 initiative : the route to careers and identities, Working Paper No. 43. (City University, SSRU, 1992)

Samples of 825 names and addresses for each age cohort (15-16 and 17-18) were selected at random from the complete name and address lists held by the Local Education Authorities. In Wave 2, a boost sample of 250 young people for each cohort in each area was added to compensate for sample loss. A theoretically designed sample was interviewed following the Wave 1 survey.All young people who supplied data in Wave 1 were followed up in Wave 2. All who supplied data in Wave 2 (including the boost sample) were followed up in Wave 3. Selected members of Wave 1 sample were interviewed.

Face-to-face interview

Postal survey

Self-completion postal questionnaires with one postal follow up and then visits by interviewers.