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Looking for data on crime and social control?
Research ideas
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 Researchers in criminology are interested in using data gathered on
crime-related issues to assess progress on, for example, government crime reduction policies and other initiatives. The ESDS holds crime-related
data that can be analysed to deliver detailed and nuanced assessments, beyond the headline reports often carried by the media on crime and social order.
One example, currently of great public concern, is the carrying of weapons by young people, and associated violent incidents. Some key ESDS
crime-related surveys can be used to illustrate the frequency of such behaviour, the surrounding circumstances, and the consequences.
Fear of crime has become a subject of growing interest to researchers
in recent years and studies have been conducted into issues such as the
relationship between age and fear of crime. There are a number of cross-sectional, government surveys
available through the ESDS, including the British Crime Survey and the
British Social Attitudes Survey, which contain extensive sample survey data. Using
a variety of search tools accessible via the ESDS web pages to locate information,
these enable researchers to make useful comparisons over time and across population groups.
ESDS Qualidata holds a range of studies of use to researchers interested in investigating
the fear of crime, which primarily consist of transcripts of in-depth interviews and focus groups.
One of the most important of these is Hollway and Jefferson's study Gender Difference, Anxiety and
the Fear of Crime, focusing on crime and its relation to the risk of victimisation. The study used
an innovative psycho-social research method and provides a valuable source of rich data for researchers, both for making
comparisons in attitudes and behaviours between now and the time of the original study or as a starting point for further
research questions.
For researchers interested in making comparisons between countries about attitudes towards governmental control of crime,
ESDS international micro datasets offer a rich source of information. Issues about public confidence in the criminal justice
system, perceptions of crime levels, views on what role the state should play in dealing with crime, and whether crime
prevention should be centrally organised across Europe, are explored. Studies such as the Eurobarometer Survey Series,
the Afrobarometer, AsiaBarometer and Arab Barometer cover a wide variety of countries, enabling researchers to compare data
internationally.
 Case studies
ESDS has a library of case studies demonstrating how ESDS data have been used. You can identify uses according to topic, data type, and educational course. Select the topic 'Crime and Justice' in the list on the left of the page to view relevant case studies.
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ESDS is now part of the
UK Data Service.
These ESDS web pages will remain during the transition, but may not be up to date.
Here are some links to get started with the new service:
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