With a General Election just weeks away -- what are the British public's views on equality of opportunity and social mobility? Do today's voters want to see greater action to level the playing field, and should we be investing to equalise opportunities? To answer those questions, the Sutton Trust has commissioned More in Common to conduct…

Trends in attitudes to abortion in Britain are reviewed from the perspective of opinion polls and sample surveys for the half-century since the passage of the Abortion Act 1967. The public's approach to abortion is found to have been mostly 'situationalist', conditioned by the circumstances in which abortions were to be carried out, rather than…

This paper provides a detailed analysis of different aspects of public attitudes towards faith schools in Britain. It examines two questions relating to government policy on this issue and two questions that ask about the perceived outcomes of this type of school. After discussing existing public opinion on this issue it uses data from the British…

A study was conducted to determine the role played by media use diversity in shaping public opinion during the 1979 campaign to elect a representative from Great Britain to the European Parliament. The study focused on the British audience's evaluation of the clarity of the campaign issues as presented in the media and on individual cognitions…

Psychological barriers that prevent the public from using libraries effectively and efficiently are identified. The problem of receiving too much information is also addressed, and seven steps for obtaining the right information are outlined, including determining exactly what is needed and then asking for help from a reference librarian. (LBH)

Reports results from an analysis of news coverage of adult education between February 1 and April 30, 1985. Results indicate that certain facets of adult education achieved greater prominence than the rest, specifically those with which the government was preoccupied. News items about adult education tended to be very brief but quite positive. (CH)

This study analyzed writing in prominent British newspapers concerning homosexuality and lesbianism, focusing on these elements of discourse: discourse themes and assumptions underlying their choice; information treated as given or implied in the text; relationships with other discursive formations and texts; signification about the writer's…

A study assessed the accuracy of public perceptions of public reactions to a politically problematic situation, the return of the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997. The analysis sought to relate differential patterns of communication behavior related to pluralistic ignorance (shared incorrect beliefs about…

A proposal in the White Paper on the 1981 census for Great Britain to include a question on "racial or ethnic group" has generated considerable concern. This document outlines the importance of including such a question in the census, explores major causes of the anxiety created by the issue, and recommends steps for dealing with this…

Press cuttings, official publications, and press releases are reviewed in this annual survey of British higher education. This article is complemented by an analytical study by Charles Carter in the same journal. (Editor/LBH)

Argues that the best form of accountability for British schools lies not in inspections or examinations but in the present teaching force itself, which must generate such public trust in its professionalism that teachers can act as a self-governing group, as do doctors and lawyers. (SJL)

Examines attitudes and practices concerning equal opportunities for women in education and work, and briefly compares the attitudes of readers of the British "Sunday Times" with the attitudes of Americans as expressed in the 1978 Gallup Poll. (IRT)

At a time when Britain's direct political routes to the creation of a more egalitarian society are closed, the opening of higher education to systematically disadvantaged groups is a significant contribution by laying the foundation for future attempts to build that society. (MSE)

Studied the influence of demographic variables on the British public's perceptions of the usefulness of retaining faculties from different disciplines. Found that people's perceptions of what is worthy are not based on political affiliation but are dependent on a number of socioeconomic variables. (EV)