Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This project studies how UK Members of Parliament (MPs) learn about their job and whether and to what extent they are socialised into various parliamentary roles and types of parliamentary activity. The research was based on surveys of newly-elected MPs and a control group of longer-serving MPs in the 1992-1997 and 1997-2001 Parliaments and an analysis of their parliamentary behaviour, plus interviews with selected MPs, parliamentary and party officials. The research found that MPs face a steep learning curve on first being elected, but that they are also subject to significant socialisation, driven mainly by their parties. Further information about the study may be found on the ESRC Parliamentary Socialisation: The Learning Process of New MPs award webpage. Full results are published in: Rush, M. and Giddings, P. (2011) Parliamentary socialisation: learning the ropes of determining behaviour?, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Main Topics:

Attitudes of newly-elected MPs in the 1992-97 and 1997-2001 Parliaments, toward their role as a Member of Parliament and to learning the job of the MP, plus comparison with attitudes of longer-serving control group of MPs.

No sampling (total universe)

Simple random sample

Postal survey