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Title:
Mass-Observation Archive, 1937 -

Subject Categories:
Consumer behaviour - Economics
General - Employment and labour
Community and urban studies - Society and culture
Leisure, tourism and sport - Society and culture
Social attitudes and behaviour - Society and culture

Depositor(s):
Sheridan, D., University of Sussex. Library. Mass-Observation Archive

Principal Investigator(s):
Mass-Observation

Abstract:
The Archive results from the work of the social research organisation, Mass-Observation, founded in 1937 to create an 'anthropology of ourselves'. Material was collected from a team of observers and a panel of volunteer writers who aimed to study the everyday lives of ordinary people in Britain. During the first phase of Mass-Observation a team of paid investigators went into a variety of public situations: meetings; religious occasions; sporting and leisure activities; in the street and at work, recording people's behaviour and conversation in as much detail as possible. A national panel of diarists, composed of people from all over Britain, kept diaries or replied to regular open-ended questionnaires. Mass-Observation continued to operate throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s and 1960s, producing a series of books about its work as well as thousands of reports. Gradually the emphasis shifted away from social issues towards consumer behaviour.

The Archive contains papers generated by the original Mass-Observation social research organisation (1937 to early 1950s) and from a new phase of Mass-Observation, the Mass-Observation Project, which has been running since 1981. Once again this specialises in autobiographical writing, recording everyday life in Britain. Around 3,000 people have written for the Project at some point in its lifetime, and the current active mailing list comprises some 400 people. It is ongoing and still recruiting volunteers. However, the Archive is especially valued for its collections dealing with life in Britain prior to - and during - the Second World War. Collections include:

• The Worktown Collection 1937-1940
• The Charles Madge Collection 1920-1970
• Mass-Observation File Reports 1937-1972
• Mass-Observation Topic Collections 1937-1964
• Mass-Observation day Surveys, Time Charts and Directive Replies 1937-1938
• Diaries 1939-1963
• Mass-Observation Directive Replies 1939-1945
• Mass-Observation Directives 1980-1990
• Children's Millennium Diaries 2000

Coverage:
Time Period Covered: 1937 to present
Country: Great Britain
Spatial Units: No spatial unit
Observation Units: Individuals; Institutions/organisations
Kind of Data: Textual data; Image; Diaries and reports

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:Cross-national; National
Population:Papers generated by the original Mass-Observation social research organisation (1937 to early 1950s) and material collected continuously since 1981.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Longitudinal/panel/cohort
Sampling Procedures: Volunteer sample
Method of Data Collection: Postal survey; Observation; Diaries
Weighting: Not applicable

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

Access:
Access Conditions: Host archive conditions apply.
Availability: These data are available from a service other than ESDS, UK Data Archive - The Mass-Observation Archive, The Library, University of Sussex, Brighton.
Contact: Help desk: qualidata@esds.ac.uk

Copyright:
Copyright Mass-Observation