News and Blog

Over 100 delegates attended the Wales Housing Research Conference 2019 at Cardiff University, co-hosted by WISERD’s Wales Housing Research Network, the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE), Shelter Cymru and the Welsh Government.

WISERD researcher, Dr David Dallimore, from the School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences at Bangor University has been awarded a Fellowship at the National Assembly for Wales. During 2019 he will be working with the Assembly Research Service to provide information about early childhood education and care (ECEC). Policy in this area has developed…

Over the past six years, the WISERD Education Multi Cohort Study (WMCS) has made an important contribution to understanding the lives of young people in Wales, by conducting an annual survey of over 1,000 young people, aged eight to 18-years-old. A key part of the data we’ve been gathering is around our young people’s educational…

Earlier this month we saw an interesting development in the study of young people’s engagement with politics in the form of Professor Will Jennings and Professor Patrick Sturgis’ excellent analysis of Understanding Society data, which led them to argue that there was, in fact, a youthquake in the 2017 general election. As soon as the…

Wales faces an imminent funding hole. After Brexit, we will lose access to the net benefit we gain from EU funds. These include the so-called ‘structural funds’, which support regional development and social initiatives. For 2012-20 alone, Wales has been allocated some £2 billion worth of structural funding. That’s a lot of money to miss…

On the 20th November, researchers from universities and third sector organisations came together at the London offices of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) for a symposium on the relationship between the family and civil society. Chaired by WISERD co-director, Professor Sally Power, the event provided an opportunity to share updates on WISERD Civil…

A good sense of humour is more important in a friend than being good looking, fashionable or popular, WISERD research has revealed. The research, part of the WISERD Education multi-cohort study, asked young people to choose the most important qualities an ideal friend should possess, out of a potential 11 options (see figure 1). A…

Friendships made in school play a special part in young people’s development. They are more than just moral support, friends help them learn key social skills, and serve as a source of social support. Close school friends also help young people develop a sense of importance, trust, acceptance and belonging within their school. Young people…

‘Wales still worst in UK in world education tests’. This is how BBC Wales announced the most recent results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study in 2016. But, the headline could also have been ‘Wales tops the table of rich countries in world education tests’. It all depends on the choice of…

From sharing our latest research findings and hosting expert panel discussions, to providing practical workshops and networking opportunities, WISERD ran four events as part of this year’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Social Sciences. We began the week by visiting a local secondary school and sharing some of the latest findings from…