Over at OoL last week, I commented upon Eric Pickles’ assault on the intrusive questioning by local government – and jolly good luck to him with that one. Today I see the BBC running an article about the the ONS and some of the stuff it has been asking people. Some of it is quaint, some of it amazes me. Not necessarily the level of intrusiveness in the questions, I’ve grown used to that – indeed, there is nowhere sacred that these interfering busybodies won’t try to pry – but the fact that people really do answer them.
The survey, now in its third decade, is today supported by research foundations and provides information on sexual behaviour that informs government policy.
It asks interviewees about the number of recent sexual partners, erectile dysfunction and sexuality. And at the end the respondent is asked to provide a urine sample to measure sexually transmitted diseases.
“Believe it or not about two-thirds of people are fine with that,” Phelps says.
Well, that’s two thirds of people who are sheep, frankly. The correct answer to such questions is “mind your own business!” And Margaret Thatcher was right when she tried to can it, it is too intrusive.
A lot has changed since the ONS began its social surveys. Today the organisation can call upon an army of 1,000 interviewers, far more than the number doing the job in 1941.
And now the social survey is heading into new, and some might argue unmeasurable, territory – personal well-being.
Ah, yes, that one…
“Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?” and “Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?” are two questions that may surprise ONS statisticians from earlier eras.
Overall, mind your own business!
It seems that the celebrity/reality TV generation is quite happy to reveal all to anyone. More fool them. They obviously haven’t heard the adage ‘knowledge is power’.
“And at the end the respondent is asked to provide a urine sample to measure sexually transmitted diseases.”
I didn’t realise the government had switched to taking the pee out of us literally….
These surveys are skewed by the people who are prepared to complete them.
“Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?”
Surely a question to be directed at the ONS……