Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Citizenship Survey (known in the field as the Communities Study) ran from 2001 to 2010-2011. It began as the 'Home Office Citizenship Survey' (HOCS) before the responsibility moved to the new Communities and Local Government department (DCLG) in May 2006. The survey provided an evidence base for the work of DCLG, principally on the issues of community cohesion, civic engagement, race and faith, and volunteering. The survey was used extensively for developing policy and for performance measurement. It was also used more widely, by other government departments and external stakeholders to help inform their work around the issues covered in the survey. The survey was conducted on a biennial basis from 2001-2007. It moved to a continuous design in 2007 which means that data became available on a quarterly basis from April of that year. Quarter one data were collected between April and June; quarter two between July and September; quarter three between October and December and quarter four between January and March. Once collection for the four quarters was completed, a full aggregated dataset was made available, and the larger sample size allowed more detailed analysis. In January 2011, the DCLG announced that the Citizenship Survey was to close. As part of the drive to deliver cost savings across government and to reduce the fiscal deficit, research budgets were closely scrutinised to identify where savings can be made. For this reason, and the belief that priority data from this survey could either be dropped; collected less frequently; or collected via other means, the survey was cancelled. Fieldwork concluded on 31 March 2011, followed by publication of reports in the months after analysis of that data. Further information about the survey, including links to publications, can be found on the National Archives webarchive page for the Citizenship Survey. The Consultation outcome: the future of the citizenship survey statement can be viewed on the gov.uk website. The Community Life Survey, (held under GN 33475), which began in 2012-2013 and is conducted by the Cabinet Office, incorporates a small number of priority measures from the Citizenship Survey, in order that trends in these issues can continue to be tracked over time. For these measures the Community Life Survey findings are comparable to the Citizenship Survey findings. UK Data Archive holdings: End User Licence and Secure Access The Archive holds standard End User Licence (EUL) versions of the complete Citizenship Survey series from 2001-2011, held under SNs 4754, 5087, 5367, 5739, 6388, 6733 and 7111, and Secure Access versions of the 2005, 2007-2008, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 waves (all held under SN 7403).  The Secure Access datasets include extra variables that are not available in the standard EUL versions. They cover: more detailed and extensive household and demographic information; more detailed geographies, including Police Force Area, Local Authority Districts, Wards, Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOA) and Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOA); more detailed responses to questions covering violent extremism, immigration, and religion; and more detailed administrative variables. Prospective users of the Secure Access version of the Citizenship Survey will need to agree to rigorous Terms and Conditions, including applying for ESRC Accredited Researcher Status and attending a training session, in order to obtain permission to use that version Therefore, users are encouraged to download and inspect the EUL versions of the data prior to ordering the Secure Access versions.

HOCS 2003 delivered information to underpin policies on:active citizenshipracial prejudice and discrimination people and their neighbourhoodsactive community participationfamily networks and parentingThe 2003 survey included a total sample of 14,057 people aged 16 and over in England and Wales. This comprised a core sample of 9,486 people and a minority ethnic boost of 4,571. The minority ethnic boost was achieved through a combination of focused enumeration and over-sampling in high minority ethnic density areas. Children's (aged 8-10 years) and young people's (11-15 years) boost samples were also included in the 2003 survey, funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), in order to produce data on the following topics covered by the adult survey:active citizenship; racial prejudice and discrimination; people and their neighbourhoods; and active community participation. Another boost sample was also included in the 2003 survey, for local area, but is not currently included in the UK Data Archive dataset. For the second edition of the study, the children's and young people's data were added and the documentation updated accordingly. Data from the local area boost may be archived at a later date.

Main Topics:

The 2003 Citizenship Survey questionnaire comprised four modules, each focusing on particular Home Office policy responsibilities: family policy, including: household composition, interaction with non-resident children, family networks and sources of parenting advice and information; active communities and social capital, including: neighbourliness, civic participation, informal and formal volunteering, employee volunteering, and receipt of voluntary help; race equality and prejudice, including: perceptions of race equality and prejudice, identity, religion, and language; rights and responsibilities, including: self-defined rights and responsibilities, and balancing rights and responsibilities. The demographics module includes standard demographics, and also media exposure and access to transport. Separate questionnaires were developed for the 2003 children's and young people's boosts. They encompassed the topics described in the Abstract above, and covered key areas of Home Office and DfES responsibility. The children's questionnaire comprised three modules: neighbourhood and school, including feelings of safety and enjoyment; active communities and social capital, including help given within family networks and social participation; right and wrong, including perceptions of these concepts. The young people's questionnaire was more detailed, and as well as covering the topics listed for children above, also included a module on perceptions of race, race equality, prejudice and religion. Standard Measures The questionnaire used established questions where practical, and adapted standard questions where policy requirements meant it was not possible to use standard questions, for example: demographics: most are taken from the ONS harmonized booklets; family relationships: adapted from the GHS family relationship grid; hierarchy of community participation: adapted from the method used in the National Survey of Voluntary Activity, 1997 (see Davis Smith, 1998) - this study is held at the UK Data Archive under SN 3931.

Multi-stage stratified random sample

See documentation for further details.

Face-to-face interview