Doorsteps beat digital tools in race for votes
PERSONAL, FACE-TO-FACE methods of contacting voters are more successful than digital and social media contacts in ensuring people turn out to vote, says a study of online voter contact during the US 2012 Presidential election and the UK 2010 General Election.
Living apart together needs greater recognition
‘LIVING APART TOGETHER’ where couples in a relationship live separately is a contemporary and relatively common phenomenon which deserves greater recognition and understanding, a recent study suggests. “Over a fifth of people normally classified as ‘single’ are actually in a relationship but not living with their partner,” says researcher Professor Simon Duncan. “So that’s around five million people in the UK (or nine per cent of the adults in Britain) who are now living apart together.” This sizeable minority has only recently been recognised by social researchers, although people have long been having relationships without living together. Using a survey of 572 people living apart together as well as a further 66 in-depth qualitative interviews, researchers set out to gain a thorough understanding of living apart relationships which could inform policymakers, practitioners and researchers concerned with couples, families, and individual wellbeing today. Far from being the prerogative of celebrity couples, or the professional commuting couple, findings show that Living Apart Together (LAT) is now found among all sorts of people in Britain. Yet, researchers point out, this fairly common relationship practice is ignored by the Census, and other social, family and household surveys. Living apart together is
rarely recognised by those collecting administrative information about users of services in either the public or private sectors. Indeed, many people who are in a LAT relationship are currently misrecognised as ‘single’. Living apart is not necessarily a
permanent state, and some LATs are young people who will go on to cohabit. But many others are in committed, long-term LAT relationships that are meaningful and important on their own terms. For those reasons, researchers suggest that Living Apart Together should be a relationship status that is recognised and counted by those producing statistics and seeking to understand contemporary relationships. Consideration should also be
given to extending legal recognition to those in LAT relationships who wish to ‘opt-in’, to secure recognition, for example, as next of kin by healthcare providers. And those providing personal, health and social care services, particularly relationship counselling and family support, should recognise the prevalence of Living Apart Together relationships, and audit how they take such relationships into consideration in the provision of services. n
i Contact Professor Simon Duncan,
University of Bradford Email
s.s.duncan@bradford.ac.uk Telephone 01274 235233 ESRC Grant Number RES-062-23-2213
AUTUMN 2014 SOCIETY NOW 7
Despite increased attention on campaigning through the internet, email and social media, the study shows that contacting voters through digital channels makes little difference to their likelihood of voting. “This is true whether contact comes directly from the political party or indirectly through online social networks. Personalised face-to-face contacting of voters remains the ‘gold standard’ to mobilise turnout at elections,” says researcher Professor Rachel Gibson. But web campaigning does appear to sustain levels of involvement among party activists and those already involved in helping with the campaign. “Our results indicate that a two-step approach to voter mobilisation and disseminating the campaign message may be worthwhile where digital communication and resources are used to support activists who then engage in wider offline personalised canvassing,” says Professor Gibson. “Rather than develop new and more sophisticated online forms of ‘cold calling’, digital channels should be used to support and extend communication with members. Online contact may be quicker and cheaper but based on current trends it’s not particularly effective in getting people to take action.” n
i
Contact Professor Rachel Gibson, University of Manchester Email
rachel.gibson@
manchester.ac.uk Telephone 0161 306 6000 ESRC Grant Number ES/J019453/1
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