The ONS’s first reporting of the “happiness” statistics – based on “subjective” answers to specific survey questions, rather than so-called “objective” forms of data – came out on Tuesday 24th July. No big surprises and it will only become really interesting, I think, once it beds in and we get year-on-year comparisons going. I wasContinue reading “The Happiness Objective: the ONS Reports on British Well-being”
Tag Archives: qualitative research
Driving Our Man Machines Towards Distraction: Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows”
The Sunday Times described it as a “bold reactionary book” – and so it is. I’ve just finished reading Nicholas Carr‘s The Shallows (subtitle: How the internet is changing the way we read, think and remember). Its main point is a simple one: the Internet is a medium that revolves around distraction and our usageContinue reading “Driving Our Man Machines Towards Distraction: Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows””
Young Guns Go For It
Here’s the video for the AQR’s Young Guns pilot evening, which Lesley Thompson and myself moderated. This was a fascinating evening spent talking to a group of young researchers from some of the leading research agencies about what life is like for people early in their qual research careers now. Some fascinatingly different perspectives, forContinue reading “Young Guns Go For It”
Longitudinal Qual: Triangulating With A Spiral Staircase
An excellent briefing yesterday on a new study I’m excited to be involved in. Massive team of us involved, but the interesting thing is the project is a proper piece of longitudinal qual. And it’s inspired me to mix geometrical metaphors like William McGonagall sharing a third bottle of Talisker with Kevin McCloud on theContinue reading “Longitudinal Qual: Triangulating With A Spiral Staircase”
The Glorious Land: TomTom Club On Tour
So, I’ve negotiated the straits between Scylla and Charybdis and my sat nav is raring to go. On the off-chance a random client strays by mistake onto my onanistic blog, this is a public service announcement (without guitars). I’ve been on a break for the last few weeks, yesterday was my first proper day backContinue reading “The Glorious Land: TomTom Club On Tour”
Olympics 2012: Good Time For Fieldwork Outside South-East
A bit of self-promotion here, but hopefully a useful tip too. It’s to flag that, this summer, there’s a particularly strong reason to base your qualitative fieldwork in the Midlands or North, rather than the South-East region. And get me to do it, obviously. Many of us will have received another Transport for London emailContinue reading “Olympics 2012: Good Time For Fieldwork Outside South-East”
Steering the elephant in the room, not just nudging it
In between helping my lad complete The Usborne Book Of Things To Spot out of the Flybe plane window back from Belfast at the weekend (or Fly Maybe as they are sometimes known) I caught up with Matt Grist’s paper, “Steer”, for the RSA from a couple of years back. The report was part ofContinue reading “Steering the elephant in the room, not just nudging it”
Creative Qual Provides Fuel, Not The Chequered Flag
Start The Week: Creativity, with Jonah Lehrer and others A fascinating Start The Week this morning dealt with the subject of creativity, with that prolific interpreter of science for the masses, Jonah Lehrer discussing his new book. (OK, my bookshelf is now officially going to collapse with all these tomes I need to read). AboveContinue reading “Creative Qual Provides Fuel, Not The Chequered Flag”
More Brooks – TED talk on reasons to be cheerful about the revolution
Brooks TED talk on The Social Animal This entertaining, brief talk gives a flavour of the book. Must read his book about our feted but ludicrous social elites, with a great title: Bobos in Paradise. I think he writes mainly about America so let’s pretend it isn’t the same here. For now, carrying on withContinue reading “More Brooks – TED talk on reasons to be cheerful about the revolution”
An Insight on Qual Analysis: from David Brooks’s “The Social Animal”
On my recent visit to the US I finally got around to buying The Social Animal (Random House, 2011) – subtitled The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement – by New York Times writer David Brooks. I’m reading it at the moment. It’s full of interesting stuff about what makes us who we areContinue reading “An Insight on Qual Analysis: from David Brooks’s “The Social Animal””
Strangers on the Shore 