Gentle Introduction to using Understanding Society in Stata and R - (F2F)

The course introduces the key aspects of Understanding Society, including study design, content, data structure, and weighting, along with basic data management skills such as merging data files from different waves and linking household-level data to individual-level data. The main aim of the course is to introduce these topics in an accessible way, minimising specialist jargon and explaining the content step-by-step with practical examples. This course is particularly valuable for:

• academic researchers starting their journey with quantitative social survey data and seeking inspiration for research topics and suitable datasets, especially undergraduate and master’s students, as well as those considering or beginning a PhD,
• non-academic researchers interested in learning about longitudinal data.

The course will be delivered in person at the University of Essex campus in Colchester and is free to attend, but you will need to pay for your own travel and accommodation.

Prerequisites:

• Interest in and some experience with social research using cross-sectional survey data.
• Basic working knowledge of your preferred statistical software: SPSS, Stata, or R (including R Studio).
• Willingness to learn and use syntax/code scripts.

The course consists of two parts: a 1-hour lecture and a 3-hour interactive, hands-on practical session. During the practical session, participants will work through exercises with guidance and support from the tutor, focusing on the advantages of the longitudinal and household nature of the data through real examples.

The course is designed for people with some prior experience using cross-sectional survey data but assumes only basic knowledge and skills in data analysis (cross-tabulation, basics of OLS regression) and statistical software (basic skills and a willingness to learn to use syntax commands/code).

Course materials
Participants will be provided handouts of the presentation slides, worksheets and syntax files (in the software of their choice) to accompany the worked-out exercises.

Software and technical requirements
Participants should bring their own laptop with the following software installed (depending on the chosen software):

• Stata Version 13 or higher
• R version 3.6.1 or above; R studio version 1.1.4 or higher
• SPSS version 18 or higher

The course takes place, in-person, at the University of Essex, Colchester. The course is free of charge and refreshments will be provided. You only have to arrange (and pay for) your travel, your accommodation and your evening meals (if applicable).

Accommodation is available on campus or in nearby Colchester or Wivenhoe.

If you have any further questions or you would like to receive information on travel and accommodation, please contact Jay James ([email protected]).

Host or Publisher Understanding Society