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British Household Panel SurveyBHPS

SPSS Intro

15-16 April 2010
Introduction to BHPS using SPSS

taught by Jonathan Burton & Emanuela Sala

Registration has now closed

To register your interest in future courses, please email

Course objectives

This course is aimed at new users of the BHPS or those who have so far made use only of simpler aspects of the data. The underlying structure of the BHPS is complex, with various different data about individuals and the households in which they live across time. The BHPS team has tried to make this structure as transparent as possible through the way data is organised. However, even the number of different data sets can appear daunting. This course aims to guide the user through these apparent complexities, and ensure that they can effectively make use of as much of the data as they require for their own research projects.

The main focus is on the data reorganisation techniques required for different types of cross-sectional and longitudinal research, rather than the statistical techniques themselves, but it is informed by the ways in which data require to be organised for different statistical techniques.

Participants will learn about the way the BHPS is designed, which data are collected, how they are collected and how the data are structured and stored. By the end of the two day course, the participant will have a thorough knowledge of the BHPS, from survey design to data-set structure, and will have the tools to make the most of a rich, but complex, data set.

A basic working knowledge of SPSS is assumed.

Course content and format

The course will be a combination of lectures and computer lab sessions, covering the following topics:

About BHPS

Participants will learn about the BHPS samples, the data collection methods, content of the survey, structure of the different data files, how to prepare the files for analysis, how to find variables and access data.

About SPSS

Participants will learn how to write reproducible code using syntax files; how to compute and recode variables using complex operators (lag); how to extract and combine information from different files and how to aggregate information about different units of analysis.

Computer lab sessions

Finding variables, accessing the data, merging and matching different data files and reorganising data for use with different types of analysis, including wide-to-long transformations.

By the end of the two-day workshop participants will know how to:

Use the documentation to find out what data are available;
Define the appropriate units of analysis for a research project, and establish the basis for selecting cases and waves of data to use;
Create merged longitudinal files with data from multiple waves;
Make use of household level data, and data from other levels;
Match information from separate household members to each other, so that household effects can be analysed;
Select the appropriate weights to use with an analysis.

The course will be based on a series of examples using SPSS version 16.0.

Target audience

This course is aimed at new users of the BHPS or those who have so far made use only of simpler aspects of the data. A basic working knowledge of SPSS is presumed.

Location and accommodation

The course will take place in the Social Science Research Centre at the University of Essex campus, Colchester. For further details visit how to get to the University. Accommodation is available on campus and in Colchester.

Course materials

Participants will be given handouts of the slides, exercises and syntax files during the course. Electronic versions will be made available to download afterwards.

Costs

The course is free of charge. Participants are required to to pay for their own accommodation and dinners.

Online resources about longitudinal data:

Registration and further information

Registration for this course is now closed. To register your interest in future courses, please email