Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This project was conducted under the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)/Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Cultures of Consumption programme, to gather qualitatively rich but also reliably representative data on whether and how people's practices of media consumption (including 'new' media) give them the resources to connect to wider public spaces. The research also examined what implications for forms of democratic citizenship and participation that consumption may have. The research covered the ways that people's practices as media consumers were connected (or not) to their practices as citizens; how individual consumers might themselves understand the relationship between consumption and citizenship; and how far consumers think their media consumption provides them with the resources for citizenship they feel they need and ought to have. Phase One of the project comprised detailed qualitative work across six regions of England. The diaries of 37 participants' media consumption were analysed, initial and subsequent interviews were conducted with those respondents, and focus group interviews were conducted with diarists. Phase Two involved a telephone survey of 1,017 people, conducted by ICM Research across the United Kingdom that aimed to produce conclusions on the detailed issues about consumption and citizenship raised in Phase One. Further information and reports may be found on the Media Consumption and the Future of Public Connection project web site.

Main Topics:

This mixed methods data collection comprises 42 diaries, 42 interview transcripts from interviews with the diarists, and 5 focus group transcripts from Phase One of the research, and one quantitative data file comprising the survey data from Phase Two. Topics covered include time use, media use and consumption, the public world and civic involvement, voting behaviour and civic and political awareness. The diaries covered media use over a period of three months. The survey covered television viewing, radio listening, newspaper and book readership, internet and email use, leisure time, attitude to local area and personal safety, political interest, favourite entertainments, current affairs, political attitudes, opinions of mass media, political and social issues and information sources.

Simple random sample

Volunteer sample

Face-to-face interview

Telephone interview

Diaries