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The state of Britain today debated at flagship festival event

Leading social scientists will reflect on some of the country’s most pressing issues at a showcase event on Thursday (7 November). The interactive panel discussion, organised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), gathers members of the public and policymakers with researchers who will present their findings on subjects including crime, poverty and ageing. The evening will also see the launch of Britain in 2014, the ESRC's definitive annual magazine featuring key data and expert opinion on the state of the nation today. Each year, Britain in showcases how ESRC funded

Countryside bearing the burden in "Big Society"

Empowering local people to help out in their communities is one of the flagship policies of the coalition government's 'Big Society'. However, new research suggests some communities are bearing more of the burden than others, with volunteering in rural areas significantly higher than in cities. The research by Dr Alasdair Rutherford, a lecturer in Quantitative Methods at the University of Stirling, will be discussed at an event as part of the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) annual Festival of Social Science which runs from 2-9 November 2013. The study showed that in

Does talking about race fuel racism?

Imagine if we just stopped mentioning race, would the EDL and other far right groups cease to exist? If we stopped talking about race, would racial discrimination suddenly disappear? On Thursday 7 November the Runnymede Trust, the UK's leading race equality think tank, is holding a free debate at the Wolverhampton Science Park. The event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science and will explore the topic, 'Does talking about race fuel racism?'. Speakers include Dr Nicola Rollock, Deputy Director of the Centre for Research in Race & Education at the University of Birmingham,

Dementia isn't the end of fun!

"Dementia is so often equated with decline and a 'doom and gloom' perspective, our approach challenges that, as living with dementia can still be a life full of fun," says Anthea Innes, Director of the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI). Ways in which popular technologies can be used to enable people with dementia to have fun as well as unlock memories and enhance communication with relatives and carers will be showcased during the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Festival of Social Science. "One of our ideas at BUDI was to try out different 'fun'

Maori culture teaches us that families are crucial to helping with mental health crises

Health service providers could learn from New Zealand Maoris when it comes to helping adults who have had mental health problems to get back on their feet, new research suggests. In Maori culture close family and friends are intimately involved with helping people with difficulties, and such family-based approaches appear to have advantages over conventional methods where professionals tend to take the lead. Dr Jerry Tew of the School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham led a research project examining the effectiveness of family-based approaches to the 'reablement' of

Witnesses of crime need help to remember

The memory of people who have witnessed or been victims of crime is prone to errors which law officials must take into account when proceeding with criminal cases, according to research to be presented at an event as part of this year's annual Festival of Social Science. "I was once caught up in a bank robbery, and as soon as the perpetrators left, a lot of people in the bank started talking about what had happened," recounts Dr Anne Ridley from London South Bank University, an expert in the field of eyewitness memory. "I knew that this was bad, as discussing an event after it has

Language difficulties can last a lifetime

People who suffer from language difficulties as children may continue to suffer from various emotional and behavioural problems as adults, according to new research. Childhood language impairment used to be seen as an early years difficulty, with children catching up gradually as they got older. However, new research shows that is not always the case and that many people experience communication difficulties into adulthood. The research, led by Professor Gina Conti-Ramsden, from the University of Manchester, will be presented at an event as part of the annual Economic and Social Research

Transformation Project successful in targeting crime

New project management toolsets developed with the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) funded Transformation Project helped Warwickshire Police launch its new Automatic Number Plate Recognition schemes on time and budget – targeting vehicle-based criminality and solving a string of serious crimes. The toolsets enabled Warwickshire Police to identify problem areas and measures to address them, which led to the ANPR schemes being successfully implemented in 2010 on time and within budget. As a result between 2010 and 2012, the Coventry Airport ANPR scheme identified 646,172

Children's voices are being heard loud and clear in Belfast

The old adage that children should be seen but not heard appears to be becoming a thing of the past, at least in Northern Ireland, according to a new survey, with questions even being designed by children themselves. Around three out of four children who were polled felt that their views were sought and were taken seriously in their school on issues such as what they do in the classroom and how to make the school better, while four out of five children believed it was easy to give their views. More than 3,700 final year primary school pupils across Northern Ireland responded to the

Animations in court cause jury errors

Using animated evidence in court can confuse and bias a jury, according to new research. Computer-generated evidence (CGE) is frequently used in courts as a technique with which to demonstrate complex sequences of events, or collate different pieces of evidence into a more coherent picture. Famously used in the trials of Amanda Knox and in presenting evidence against Oscar Pistorious, one of the advantages of CGE is that it allows a number of different viewpoints to be examined in a way which is often not possible with still images. However, research suggests that using CGE may confuse

Infrastructure decisions now a matter of 'life and death'

Carbon-neutral planning and design needs to be embedded in infrastructure decisions now if we are to achieve a low carbon economy within 30 years, argues Keith Clarke CBE, former CEO of Atkins Global and Chairman of the Forum for the Future. Delaying infrastructure decisions is no longer simply inconvenient, it's a matter of life and death for people in countries most affected by the adverse consequences of climate change, Mr Clarke will claim in a debate to be held during the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Social Science Game-changing evidence on climate change

Rude Britannia – what our politeness says about our nation

Britain is still a nation of polite people and fears that texts, tweets and Facebook are making people ruder is a myth, according to research from Lancaster University's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS). The British are famous for their reserve, indirect way of saying things and a love of queuing. However, new research shows that what we find polite, and what we find rude is unique to our culture and can be very different to notions of rudeness in other cultures. The research carried out by Professor Jonathan Culpeper, an expert in linguistic politeness, will be presented at an

Risk averse carers hasten dementia decline

Focussing only on keeping people with dementia physically safe can actually contribute to the person's decline and result in the unnecessary loss of a person's skills. Carers, family and even some health practitioners may unwittingly be behaving in ways that can cause 'silent harms’' for people with dementia in their efforts to help them live with the condition, argues Professor Charlotte Clarke of the University of Edinburgh. "Focussing only on the physical safety of someone with dementia can result in the person’s psychological and social wellbeing being neglected or 'silently harmed',"

Kids know what makes them happy

Fridays are definitely the best day of the week and one of the things likely to make many school children happy, according to an annual innovative schools event on happiness that takes place during the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) annual Festival of Social Science. Fish and chip school lunches, family, friends and fun are mentioned by children in this small-scale project as some of the ingredients of a happy school life, says event organiser Dr Lindsey Cameron, a child development specialist at the University of Kent. "Asking children themselves what makes them happy

Wolves no longer the stuff of fairy tales and fables

Little Red Riding Hood has a lot to teach conservation biologists when it comes to reintroducing the wolf into the wild, according to a leading anthropologist. The ingrained image of the wolf in many cultures as the epitome of a physically powerful, cunning and malevolent force, propagated down the centuries through fairy tales, myths and legends, must be taken into account in any re-introduction strategy, or where wolves re-emerge naturally, said Garry Marvin, Professor of Human–Animal Studies at the University of Roehampton. "We need to understand why the wolf has been demonised so

Wind turbines evoke a variety of emotional responses

People’s attitudes towards wind turbines are more complex than a simple case of love-or-hate, a social science researcher is discovering. Visitors gazing at turbines in the Welsh countryside experience a wide range of emotions, from memories of youth to feelings of powerlessness in the face of the political machine, according to Greg Dash, who is studying for a PhD at Aberystwyth University. Mr Dash, who is researching how visitors to rural landscapes perceive wind turbines, will be investigating his theme further during the national Festival of Social Science in November, organised by

Life does get under your skin

'Social medicines' are beneficial to the health and wellbeing of individuals and the population. By combining social and biological information from UK Longitudinal studies (life-course studies) researchers have identified that the more ‘social medicines’ you have, the better your physical and mental health. These include a stable family life, stress free childhood, alcohol free culture for young people, secure and rewarding employment, positive relationships with friends and neighbours, and a socially active old age. Researchers from the International Centre for Lifecourse Studies in

Science minister to present 'Portraits of Britain' prizes

How can you capture the meaning of 'social sciences' and 'society today' in a single picture? What does social science mean to you, and how would you portray the social sciences in one image? This was the challenge of Portraits of Britain – a photographic competition organised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Festival of Social Science. The winners of the 'Portraits of Britain' photo competition will be announced at the launch of the exhibition on 7 November with prizes presented by the Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister for

Copyright laws are off balance

Multi-millionaire rockers such as Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Cliff Richard are set to benefit from recent changes to EU copyright legislation that extend the duration of copyright protection. But, already copyright lasts for too many years and is overly complex, argue researchers from the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management (CIPPM), Bournemouth University. Their research shows that a copyright policy that brings a better balance between the interests of  creators, investors and consumers is needed. To design better copyright policy - as in other policy areas - the UK

Helping young people discover their own ‘British’ history

Schools can promote social inclusion by helping children to discover a version of British history that acknowledges how people from a range of ethnic backgrounds have contributed to contemporary British society, according to new research. A joint project between the London School of Economics, Cambridge University, Manchester University and the Runnymede Trust, Britain's leading race equality think tank, found that children from all backgrounds become more engaged with history when they are encouraged to do hands-on primary research into their own families and communities. The

New policies recognise needs of vulnerable sexual communities

Following the implementation of new legislation equalities policy, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is now an aspect of staff training in local government according to research at the Universities of Newcastle and Huddersfield carried out by Professor Diane Richardson and Dr Surya Monro. The research project is the springboard for a workshop on LGBT equalities, which will take place in London on November 6 as part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Social Science. "There are many LGBT people - for example young homeless people, or

Cyberbullying in the workplace ‘worse than conventional bullying’

Cyberbullying – using modern communications technology such as e-mails, texts or web-postings to abuse people - is as common in the workplace as ‘conventional’ bullying.  Yet, the way cyberbullying influences both the victim and witnesses are more hidden in the workplace according to new research by occupational psychologists. The results of a study by Dr Christine Sprigg, Dr Carolyn Axtell and Sam Farley of the University of Sheffield, together with Dr Iain Coyne of Nottingham University, will be revealed at a seminar during the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) annual

What natural disasters can teach us

Learning about surviving disasters, a study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), has resulted in a unique bank of research data which provides insights into what makes an effective community response at this critical time. Community responses are key to helping children and young people who survive major natural disasters. The study, led by Professor Lena Dominelli of Durham University, was conducted in Sri Lanka in 12 villages recovering from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The research involved people and groups who responded to the needs of these villages after

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