Influence of childhood self-control


CHILDHOOD SELF-CONTROL is influential in shaping not only a person’s later health but also their likelihood of being employed and having a pension, says a three-year study that examined data on 21,000 people from the UK tracked over four decades.


Self-control varies widely between children. The characteristics of those with low (vs high) self-control in this study were identified using teacher ratings and include poor attention, lack of persistence and impulsive behaviour. Findings show that children with low self-control by age 10/11 were twice as likely to smoke as adults compared to their more self-controlled peers. The study also revealed childhood self- control to be an important predictor of adult heath, chronic illness and longevity.


Researchers further found early life self- control to be a powerful predictor of adult job prospects. “Children with high self-control spend 40% less time unemployed than those with a lower capacity for self-control as children,” says researcher Dr Michael Daly. The study also finds childhood self-control to predict pension participation up to four decades later.


Interventions to help children increase their self-control could have lifelong benefits in terms of health and wellbeing, the study concludes. n


i Contact Dr Michael Daly, University of Stirling


Email michael.daly@stir.ac.uk Telephone 01786 473171 Web www.michaeldalyresearch.com/project-01 ESRC Grant Number ES/L010437/1


Islington residents feel less victimised than 30 years ago


they were 20 or 30 years previously, says research into trends in crime and victimisation. Based on a survey of 2,000 residents, findings reveal that the proportion of individuals and households citing crime as a major problem in their neighbourhood has declined significantly since a landmark study of victimisation was undertaken in Islington in 1986. Today only 13% of residents see crime as a major problem compared to 37% in 1986. And, while 30 years ago 70%


R


ESIDENTS FROM THE London Borough of Islington are less likely to feel victimised in 2016 than


of residents said crime had become more common in the area in the last five years, in 2016 only 14% believed crime was increasing. “In general, the picture that emerges in 2016 is radically different from that presented in 1986 with residents more satisfied with their neighbourhood and less concerned about crime,” says researcher Professor Roger Matthews. n


i Contact Professor Roger Matthews,


University of Kent Email r.a.matthews@kent.ac.uk Telephone 01227 827477 Web www.islingtoncrimesurvey.com ESRC Grant Number ES/N00468X/1


SHAPING BREXIT VIEWS An ethnographic study involving people across England and from differing backgrounds aims to understand the role of the media in shaping public opinion on Brexit. Researchers will undertake a quantitative media content analysis to identify themes, images, tone and frames in media coverage from the time of the referendum campaign to the present day as well as in-depth- interviews and observation of individuals’ daily media practices. ESRC grant number ES/R005133/1


SOCIAL MOBILITY Is Britain open and fair? Researchers will investigate how rates of social mobility vary across different regions, cities and towns in Britain and how mobility has been affected by changes in the school system. The study is based on the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Survey which contains linked census records for over two million people between 1971 and 2011. ESRC grant number ES/R00627X/1


ACCESS TO ENERGY Some 700 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) lack access to electricity. A new study aims to design integrated and transferable development strategies for the local renewable energy sector capable of delivering comprehensive, sustainable rural electrification in SSA. Researchers will use a comparative country case study approach, focusing on contrasting situations in Uganda and Zambia. ESRC grant number ES/S000941/1


SUMMER 2011 SOCIETY NOW 5 AUTUMN 2018 SOCIETY NOW


IN BRIEF


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