Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Community Life Survey (CLS) is a household survey conducted in England, tracking the latest trends and developments across areas key to encouraging social action and empowering communities, including: volunteering and charitable giving; views about the local area; community cohesion and belonging; community empowerment and participation; influencing local decisions and affairs; and subjective well-being and loneliness.The CLS was first commissioned by the Cabinet Office in 2012. From 2016-17, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) took over responsibility for publishing results. During 2020, the DCMS also commissioned the Community Life COVID-19 Re-contact Survey (CLRS) (SN 8781) to provide data on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected volunteering, charitable giving, social cohesion, wellbeing and loneliness in England.For the 2023-24 and 2024-25 survey years, DCMS partnered with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to boost the CLS to be able to produce meaningful estimates at Local Authority level. This has enabled data collection at the most granular level since data collection commenced. The questionnaire for 2023-24 was developed collaboratively to adapt to the needs and interests of both DCMS and MHCLG, including some new questions and changes to existing questions, response options and definitions in the 2023-24 and upcoming 2024-25 surveys.BackgroundUp to 2015-16, the survey used a face-to-face methodology. Following thorough testing (experimental online versions of the survey were released for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16), the CLS moved online from 2016-17 onwards, with an end to the previous face-to-face method. The survey uses a push-to-web methodology (with paper mode for those who are not digitally engaged). The survey informs and directs policy and action in these areas;to provide data of value to all users, including public bodies, external stakeholders and the public; andunderpin further research and debate on building stronger communities.The CLS incorporates a small number of priority measures from the Citizenship Survey, which ran from 2001-2011, conducted by the then Department for Communities and Local Government. These measures were incorporated in the CLS so that trends in these issues could continue to be tracked over time. (The full Citizenship Survey series is held at the UK Data Archive under GNs 33347 and 33474.)Further information may be found on the GOV.UK Community Life Survey webpage.
The Community Life Survey 2023-2024 was conducted between October 2023 and March 2024, with samples issued on a quarterly basis. The survey was conducted via an online and paper survey method called Address Based Online Surveying (ABOS). This is an affordable method of surveying the general population that still employs random sampling techniques. ABOS is a type of 'push to web' methodology, with a paper mode for those who are not digitally engaged.A Secure Access version of the data is available under SN 9406 and includes additional demographic variables and geographic indicators. Users should note that the Secure version is subject to restrictive access conditions, and are strongly advised to check whether the Safeguarded version is suitable for their needs before considering an application for the Secure version.
Main Topics:
The survey asks about a range of topics including: community empowerment, engagement and cohesion, civic engagement, volunteering, social action, charitable giving, subjective wellbeing and loneliness.The paper questionnaire covers the same broad topics as the online survey. However the paper questionnaire is reduced in length, therefore not all questions asked in the online survey are included in the paper version.
Multi-stage stratified random sample
Self-administered questionnaire: Paper
Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)
