Exploring the potential: Examining archived data at Mass Observation and ESDS Qualidata

Thursday 19 January 2006The Library, University of Sussex

Catching the trainCatching the train

a different way of doing a different way of doing researchresearch

Bill Bytheway, Open University

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

This paper is based on research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (RES-

000-22-0566)

It draws on evidence from: the Mass-Observation Archive at the University

of Sussex, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), and the Tony Benn Diary Archive

Aims of the Birthdays ProjectAims of the Birthdays Project

to collect and analyse evidence about

the social significance of birthdays

and about

how birthdays contribute to a personal sense of ageing

Data for the Birthdays ProjectData for the Birthdays Project

Published autobiographical writing

Tony Benn, May Sarton, etc.

Submissions to the Mass-Observation Archive

186 writers

Statistical data from the ONS Omnibus Survey

1,841 respondents

Published autobiographical writingPublished autobiographical writing

Memoirs

Diaries

Correspondences

Autobiographies

etc.

Potential strengths

• dated

• continuing

Potential weaknesses

• self-promoting

• Selective and edited

• approved

Some birthday entries Some birthday entries in some famous diariesin some famous diaries

To-day is my birthday. I am to-day fourteen years old !

Queen Victoria 24 May 1833

Today is my 18th birthday ! Queen Victoria 24 May 1837

To-day was my 21st birthday. Vera Brittain 29 December 1914

My 39th birthday. Evelyn Waugh 28 October 1942

Forty-six today; fifty in sight. Peter Hall 22 November 1976

I reach the age of sixty. Harold Nicolson21 November 1946

May Sarton writing shortly May Sarton writing shortly before her 84before her 84thth birthday birthday

I mostly simply feel ill, feel ‘not well’, feel that

something serious is wrong which I cannot control and which I don’t understand. The doctor seems to think I am in fine shape, and thank goodness, I heard yesterday that I can drive as soon as I feel able to. I think I’ll wait till after my birthday. Then I will start driving; it will be a tremendous freedom to be able to do that.

(Sarton 1996: 295)

3rd April 1970

My 45th birthday. Had the usual family ritual with people coming in with presents and I got a lovely summer nightshirt from Carol and various other things.

Tony Benn’s diary entry on his Tony Benn’s diary entry on his 4545thth birthday birthday

1st April 1985

I have had five invitations to go on chat shows, because it's my sixtieth birthday on Wednesday. I suppose when you reach sixty the journalists think they can rehabilitate you as an eccentric, lovable old character.

Tony Benn’s diary entry two Tony Benn’s diary entry two days before his 60days before his 60thth birthday birthday

3rd April 2000

My seventy-fifth birthday. … I had put a note in to the Speaker saying that I'd like to ask a question about pensions during Social Security questions, and obligingly she called me. I made a strong point about linking pensions to earnings, and in reply Alistair Darling, the Social Security Secretary, wished me a happy birthday and said that he was sure I was looking forward to my free television licence – which really was an insulting response.

Tony Benn’s diary entry on his Tony Benn’s diary entry on his 7575thth birthday birthday

The ONS Omnibus SurveyThe ONS Omnibus SurveyQuestion 1 Thinking back to your last birthday, which, if any, of the following areas of your life did you feel were affected by the change in your age?

a) My employmentb) My rights under the lawc) My educational

opportunitiesd) My access to health

servicese) My income (including

welfare benefits)f) My use of transport

The ONS Omnibus SurveyThe ONS Omnibus SurveyQuestion 2

Thinking about your birthdays in general, which, if any, of the following statements apply to you at the present time?

a) My birthdays are no different to any other day

b) I enjoy celebrating my birthdays

c) I think of my birthday as another milestone

d) My family and/or friends make an effort to ensure that my birthday is a special day

e) On reaching my birthday I tend to feel my age

“I enjoy celebrating my birthdays”

Men Women16-24 58 % 68 %

25-44 48 % 60 %

45-54 39 % 56 %

55-64 31 % 51 %

65-74 30 % 50 %

75 + 33 % 53 %

Strengths of M-O for researchStrengths of M-O for research

A panel of several hundred anonymous, ‘ordinary people’

Longitudinal, dating back to 1981

More representative than published autobiographical writing

Offers thoughts and experiences in the writers’ own words

Complements and amplifies survey data

Weaknesses of M-O for researchWeaknesses of M-O for research

over-time comparisons not easy

not statistically representative

no opportunity to engage directly with writers

The Birthdays Directive The Birthdays Directive June 2002June 2002

Panellists were invited to ‘explore’ six areas: ‘your previous birthday’ ‘people who remember your birthday’ ‘people whose birthdays you like to remember’ ‘your most memorable birthday’ ‘the significance of birthdays’ ‘what you record in a seven-day diary’

On my birthday I tend On my birthday I tend to feel my ageto feel my age

“ When it was my sixtieth I told my daughters I did not want to have a party or any fuss made. This business of making a do of the ‘0’ birthdays has come about fairly recently in my lifetime – I don’t like it – it just emphasises the fact that one is getting older. ”

(P1637)

No different to any other dayNo different to any other day

“ My last birthday was on September

25th 2001, and I became 64 years old.

It was a Tuesday and I did the normal

work for that day, vacuumed, dusted,

but as it was a lovely sunny day, sat

out in the garden as well. ”(W571)

A special dayA special day

“It was as though I had accomplished something extraordinary in attaining the age of 80, whereas in a way I had had nothing to do with it. It was referred to by more than one person as the big eight-0 and was asked more than once how it felt – as if, overnight, I should have changed into a different person. The truth was, of course, I felt no different to when I went to bed the night before.”

(R1418)

Directives used for the collated Directives used for the collated databasedatabase

Celebrations No. 33 Winter 1990

The pace of life No. 36 Spring 1992

Growing older No. 38 Winter 1992

Death and bereavement No. 42 Spring 1994

The future No. 53 Autumn 1997

Staying well and everyday life

No. 55 Autumn 1998

Your family No. 61 Autumn 2000

Birthdays No. 67 Summer 2002

Continuity in responsesContinuity in responses

Number responding:

To Birthdays in 2002 186

To Birthdays and Celebrations in 1990 120

To all eight directives between 1990 and 2002

78

W729’s 33W729’s 33rdrd birthday in 1990 birthday in 1990

“My last birthday - it was the day Len and I went on holiday. Because I don't like and never have been keen on celebrations and, because even now (at 33!) my mother still makes a thing of my birthday if she gets given a chance, I prefer to be away on that day. In 1989 it was a perfect day … in Ireland. This year it was mostly on the A9 … on the way to the Outer Hebrides. The day before, everyone (parents, aunt and uncle) had come over to our house with cards and presents so, on the day, we could get away early. I can't remember what I got … but my Mum did give me a tiny iced cake (four to six inches high and maybe four inches across) and we stopped … at a picnic site and cut this cake. It had one candle and a wide lilac ribbon round the outside. I have a photo of it somewhere, me sitting at the picnic table with cake. We ended up in a lovely bed and breakfast in … and had a lovely seafood meal in a hotel that night. It was a good birthday.”

W729’s 45W729’s 45rdrd birthday in 2002 birthday in 2002

“My last birthday was yesterday (July 6th). I was 45 years old and on holiday for a few days in San Francisco. My husband and I went out to a cafe for breakfast and I had French toast with sausage and crispy bacon … Then we caught a Blue and Gold Line ferry to Tiburon, on the other side of the bay … and spent a couple of hours wandering around its little shops and streets. We also had more coffee out on a deck and got the waitress to take a photo of us with the bay behind us. I was really tired at the end of the day. I suppose the celebration bit was the meal at night but, as we were on holiday in a city we'd never been to before, doing things we wanted to do, the whole day was nice. Len gave me a card on the day and, before we came on holiday (a week ago), my parents and Len's parents gave me a cheque for £25 which I banked. I will get something on holiday with the money. … My aunt and uncle gave me money and a card and the card also came with us.“