Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The purpose of this study was to produce an ecological dataset for use in studies of the 1997 British General Election and especially to be linked to data on individual voters in the 1997 British Election Study and related surveys. Many researchers interested in voting behaviour in Britain want to study individuals in their ecological (or geographical) contexts, but find this difficult because of problems in assembling relevant datasets. Most are constrained to studies at one particular spatial scale only and restricted to a relatively small number of census data variables. Ecological analysis is thus under-developed in British electoral study. To counter this, and to provide a much better resource base for studies of the 1997 General Election the project aimed to assemble a more comprehensive dataset to facilitate a wide range of ecological analysis and through linkage to the British Election Study allow individual voter's behaviour to be studied in geographical context.Main Topics:The data comprise 15 files: 1. GE92-97 (con): 1997 general election results and estimated 1992 general election results for the 1997 parliamentary constituencies in Britain. 2. CAND97 (con): 1997 general election candidates and constituencies. 3. LARES (ward): British local election results by electoral ward from 1994 to 1997, matched approximately to 1991 ONS wards in England and Wales, but unmatched in Scotland. 4. LAPOL (con/council): political composition of councils in Britain in May 1996, by 1997 parliamentary constituency. 5. TAX (council): Council tax in Britain in 1997/8. 6a. CENWARD (ward): 1991 census data for ONS wards in Britain. 6b. CENCON (con): 1991 census data for 1997 parliamentary constituencies in Britain. 7a. SCHOOLW (ward): GCSE and Standard Grade examination results for schools in Britain, from 1993 to 1996, by 1991 ONS ward. 7b. SCHOOLPA (con): GCSE and Standard Grade examination...