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 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 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 galvanising protestors; and what can social science teach us about the best and least provocative ways to manage demonstrations? I hope you find the magazine enjoyable and informative. We always welcome letters, feedback and ideas for content.


Nick Stevens, Editor Society 16 20 10 14


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SPRING 2011 ISSUE 9 ESRC RESEARCH MAKING AN IMPACT


ow Pillow talk insomniacs?


Future perfect: Managing the governance of Olympic risk


Education: How home life affects learning


Judith Rees: Coping with a changing climate


become a nation of


Have we


The views and statements


expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the ESRC


In this issue...


REGULARS 3 News


16 Opinions


The power of the internet to mobilise protest; student protests and techniques for crowd control


18 The UK by numbers: Health


29 Information and updates People; publications; news briefs; events


CONTRIBUTORS


Sarah Womack Freelance journalist and former social affairs correspondent of the Daily Telegraph


Helen Margetts Professor of Society and the Internet at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford


2 SOCIETY NOW SPRING 2011


Dr Clifford Stott Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology and director and founder of the Henri Tajfel Laboratory at the School of Psychology, the University of Liverpool


Arild Foss ESRC Copy Editor


Will Jennings Hallsworth Research Fellow at the School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester


Judith Rees Professor of Environmental and Resources Management at the London School of Economics


FEATURES


10 Pillow talk New research finds that we are sleeping less than ever, with consequences for our health, well-being and family life


14 Smoking on the silver screen Tobacco advertising and sponsorship are more strictly regulated than ever – yet many films accessible to children and young people still contain images of smoking


20 Risky business


The assessment and management of risk is woven into the administration of large- scale events. How are the organisers of the London Olympics preparing for the worst?


24 The gap years


Despite having been high on the political agenda for decades, the educational gap between rich and poor children is still stark in Britain in 2011


26 Voices: Climate change champion Professor Judith Rees, director of the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, talks about initiatives to tackle climate change and how evidence informs climate policy


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All Society Now photography © Alamy unless otherwise marked


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