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Title:
Affluent Worker in the Class Structure: a Digitised Sample of the Luton Study, 1961-1962

Subject Categories:
Social and occupational mobility - Social stratification and groupings

Depositor(s):
Todd, S., University of Manchester. School of Arts, Histories and Cultures

Principal Investigator(s):
Todd, S., University of Manchester. School of Arts, Histories and Cultures

Data Collector(s):
Bechhofer, F., University of Edinburgh. Research Centre for Social Sciences
Platt, J., University of Sussex. School of Social Sciences
Young, H., University of Manchester. Department of History

Original Producer(s):
Goldthorpe, J.H., University of Oxford. Nuffield College
Lockwood, D., University of Essex. Department of Sociology

Sponsor(s):
Economic and Social Research Council

Grant Number:
RES-061-23-0032-A

Abstract:
The 'Affluent Worker' project was undertaken to test empirically the thesis of working class embourgeoisement. The research studied the attitudes and behaviour of high wage earners in three mass or continous flow companies. During 1961-1962, married, male workers from three Luton factories (Vauxhall, Skefco and Laporte) were firstly interviewed at work and then, again, at home with their wives. Additionally, a sample of middle-class white-collar workers from the same companies were interviewed only at home.

This qualitative data collection comprises a digitised subset of the Luton study interviews, (see below for details of the full collection). For this subset, 30 married male Vauxhall workers' completed questionnaires were selected from boxes 01 and 02 from the full collection, as the handwriting on the original papers was legible, and follow-up home interviews were available as well as the initial workplace interview. The resulting data have been collated into tabular form, within an MS Access database. The tables replicate the structure and variables of the questionnaires used in the original study. Street, place and personal names were standardised by the original investigators, and care has been taken to retain original spellings. The subset database therefore contains a total of 60 interviews, each with 464 variables. This research formed part of a wider ESRC project Living Standards, social identities and the working class in England, c.1945-c.1970. Further information about the project can also be found at the Voices of Post War England oral history web site.

The full Affluent Worker data collection (including a set of interviews conducted in Cambridge as a pilot prior to the main Luton study) is held at the National Social Policy and Social Change Archive, part of the Albert Sloman Library Special Collections, based at the University of Essex. The materials are paper based and authorised copies are permitted as copyright is retained by the University of Essex. Consultation is by appointment only. A separate catalogue record covering the full study is available under SN 6512: Affluent Worker in the Class Structure, 1961-1962.


Main Topics:
Social attitudes, family life, social mobility, employment, lifestyle, education, social class.

Coverage:
Time Period Covered: 1961-1962
Dates of Fieldwork: 1961-1962
Country: England
Geography: Luton; Bedfordshire
Spatial Units: No spatial unit
Observation Units: Individuals; Couples
Kind of Data: Textual data; Individual (micro) level; semi-structured questionnaires and transcription of hand-written notes.

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:Subnational
Population:Male workers from a Luton factory and their wives, 1961-1962

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Cross-sectional (one-time) study
Sampling Procedures: Purposive selection/case studies
Number of Units: 30 respondents interviewed twice: total of 60 interviews.
Method of Data Collection: Face-to-face interview; Transcription of existing materials; Textual data; Individual (micro) level;semi-structured questionnaires and transcription of hand-written notes.
Weighting: Not applicable

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required. Available to all registered users. The depositor may be informed about usage.
Availability: ESDS Qualidata, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: qualidata@esds.ac.uk
Please Note: These data are a subset of The Affluent Worker Collection available from the National Social Policy and Social Change Archive. Albert Sloman Library Special Collections, University of Essex. Contact ESDS Qualidata, UK Data Archive, in the first instance.

Date of Release:
First Edition: 07 December 2009

Copyright:
Copyright S. Todd

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