Have We Become a Nation of Insomniacs?
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Society ESRCow RESEARCH MAKING AN IMPACT SPRING 2011 ISSUE 9 Pillow talk Have we become a nation of insomniacs? Future perfect: Education: Judith Rees: Managing the How home Coping with governance of life affects a changing Olympic risk learning climate Welcome to the Spring issue of Society Now, the ESRC’s regular magazine that showcases the research we fund and the impact of social science. As the first findings of the Understanding Society survey are published, our main feature 10 14 on page 10 looks at how working longer hours is affecting our sleep and family life, potentially putting our health at risk. This issue also includes a feature on education and social mobility – why do children growing up in poorer households still underperform in school and eventually drift away from education? The work to assess and manage the complex risks of staging the London 2012 Olympic 16 20 Games is explained on page 20. And this issue also includes two opinion pieces that look at protest: what is the role of the internet in unless otherwise marked galvanising protestors; and what can social science teach us about the best and least provocative ways to manage demonstrations? © Alamy I hope you find the magazine enjoyable and informative. We always welcome letters, feedback and ideas for content. Nick Stevens, Editor 24 26 All Society Now photography Society FEATURES ESRCow RESEARCH MAKING AN IMPACT SPRING 2011 ISSUE 9 In this issue... 10 Pillow talk New research finds that we are sleeping Pillow talk Have we REGULARS less than ever, with consequences for our become a nation of insomniacs? 3 News health, well-being and family life Future perfect: Education: Judith Rees: Managing the How home Coping with governance of life affects a changing Olympic risk learning climate 14 Smoking on the silver screen 16 Opinions Tobacco advertising and sponsorship are The views and The power of the internet to mobilise statements more strictly regulated than ever – yet many expressed in this protest; student protests and techniques for films accessible to children and young publication are crowd control people still contain images of smoking those of the authors and not necessarily 18 The UK by numbers: Health 20 Risky business those of the ESRC 29 Information and updates The assessment and management of risk People; publications; news briefs; events is woven into the administration of large- scale events. How are the organisers of the London Olympics preparing for the worst? CONTRIBUTORS 24 The gap years Despite having been high on the political Sarah Womack Freelance Dr Clifford Stott Senior Will Jennings Hallsworth agenda for decades, the educational gap journalist and former social Lecturer in Social Psychology Research Fellow at the between rich and poor children is still stark affairs correspondent of the and director and founder of School of Social Sciences, in Britain in 2011 Daily Telegraph the Henri Tajfel Laboratory University of Manchester Helen Margetts Professor of at the School of Psychology, Judith Rees Professor 26 Voices: Climate change champion Society and the Internet at the University of Liverpool of Environmental and Professor Judith Rees, director of the ESRC the Oxford Internet Institute, Arild Foss ESRC Copy Editor Resources Management Centre for Climate Change Economics University of Oxford at the London School of and Policy, talks about initiatives to tackle Economics climate change and how evidence informs climate policy 2 SOCIETY NOW SPRING 2011 Advice to prevent poverty n Migrants boost UK hotel innovation n Rape case attrition n Russian female prisoners suffer dual isolationNEWS n Long-term costs of birth problems n US home ownership falls for the young n Working on worrying less n New wave of North African militants n Make up your mind time n Nudging citizens into active partnership n Planning undermines land reform n NEWS Let’s talk about it… n Advice to prevent poverty CUTS IN FUNDING to the voluntary people do when they have a problem from Citizens Advice Bureaux or Law sector are placing the Government’s at work. Centres – there were problems with vision for a big society in jeopardy, Findings reveal a dearth of access, restricted opening hours and according to researcher Dr Jane employment advice available, ineligibility for legal aid. Holgate of Leeds University Business particularly for the most vulnerable “The government appears not to School. A three-year study of how workers, but also for most workers realise the devastating impact that the ethnic minority workers deal with without trade union representation. cuts in funding to voluntary sector problems they have encountered at Only 44 per cent of those interviewed organisations will have on the most work finds evidence of an ‘advice desert’. Problems at work can have What workers really wanted was to talk a serious impact on employees’ personal lives in terms of ill-health, through the specifics of their case and to unemployment and poverty. “The lack “find an advisor who would represent them of support for employment problems is a serious issue,” argues Dr Holgate. in dealings with their employer “Current advice agencies are seriously under-funded and this is likely to get were trade union members. Of the vulnerable in society,” Dr Holgate worse because of forthcoming cuts. non-trade union members, 45 per cent points out. “Recently, we heard how five If the big society is to be meaningful, said they either did not have a union Birmingham Citizens” Advice offices then resources need to be directed at in their workplace, or that no-one had were to close immediately. And this is community level to provide the advice asked them to join. only the start. Our research shows that and support that is needed.” Finding timely, informative and if the government is serious about its The study, conducted among Kurds appropriate employment advice from big society agenda then we will need in Hackney, South Asians in Ealing sources other than trade unions these types of services more than ever and Black Caribbeans in Lambeth, was very difficult. While there are a as hundreds of thousands of people was prompted by concerns about the number of government and voluntary lose their jobs and are in need of help lack of support for workers facing sector advice websites and telephone and advice to keep themselves and their disciplinary and grievance issues helplines available to workers, very few children out of poverty.” n ranging from bullying to failure to of those interviewed knew about these. pay wages (including the National Moreover, what workers really wanted i Contact Dr Jane Holgate, Leeds University Minimum Wage). With over 70 per was to talk through the specifics of their Business School cent of workers in the UK labour case and to find an advisor who would Email [email protected] market without union representation, represent them in dealings with their Telephone 07960 798399 ESRC Grant Number RES-062-23-0464 researchers aimed to discover what employer. When advice was available – SPRING 2011 SOCIETY NOW 3 IN BRIEF WEIGHING THE RISKS Many choices in life, such as how much to save, depend on how willing people are to take risks. Research will provide new measures of the willingness to take risks and to forgo current pleasures for future rewards. Having such measures will provide a more complete picture of the factors that shape choices relating to savings, borrowing and health behaviours. ESRC Grant Number RES-000-22-4264 Migrants boost UK SURROGATE MOTHERS What are the longer-term hotel innovation experiences of surrogate mothers? A previous study of MIGRANTS PLAY A key role in an important service, for example, women who were interviewed making smaller British hotels more with hotels initiating direct links with one year after the birth of the innovative, according to research. IT companies to develop products. child suggested surrogacy could Findings show that migrants are an “The strong level of co-production result in positive experiences. important source of fresh ideas and of innovation means that the hotel Researchers will follow up this capacity to implement change for the industry is critical to the development sample of surrogate mothers ten hotel industry. and survival of many UK-based IT years after surrogacy. Findings “Migrants are essential because companies,” co-researcher Professor will be of relevance to families, they constitute two thirds of the Allan Williams points out. clinicians and other professionals management in London’s small The study reveals that the UK involved in surrogacy and will and medium-sized hotels and they hotel industry is a rich environment inform policy and legislation are more innovative than British for innovation, and a good example nationally and internationally. managers, particularly in areas of of how the shifting boundaries of ESRC Grant Number RES-061-25-0480 marketing and management,” says technology innovation are promoting Professor Gareth Shaw. “The types of new forms of co-production. Hoteliers A CHILDREN’S FORUM innovation they implement are small need to ensure they have the necessary The newly established Children’s and incremental (such as updating expertise and attitude to take advantage Sector Forum in Scotland aims to software) but are essential in terms of of new technological approaches in the provide a powerful, unified voice improving the quality and performance industry, researchers suggest. in national-level policymaking. of hotels and, in the longer term, the Findings further indicate that Researchers will identify UK’s international competitiveness.” a continuing supply of migrant sustainable ways of working Researchers explored innovation managers into the UK is essential. which support children’s and processes in large hotel organisations Many do not have a professional young people’s participation operating at the international level, as education or previous background that are effective in influencing well as innovations within micro and in hotels, but have strong generic policy and meaningful to the small enterprises in London.