Lead supervisor:
Prof Ian Rees Jones
Start date: October 2015
Award: General
Subject Pathway:
Sociology / Science and Technology Studies
Thematic Cluster:
Society and Well-Being Cluster
The relationship of social network structure with social participation in midlife.
The central goal of my research is to identify the interrelationships between social participation and social networks in mid- to later life. Specifically I aims to assess the external factors that influence these relationships, including class, ethnicity, place, and sense of belonging. I will use a mixed methods approach by quantitatively analysing longitudinal data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) and qualitatively analysing data from the Social Participation and Identity Project; a sub-sample qualitative study of NCDS participants. Currently, my research questions are as follows:
- How is social participation defined?
- How are social networks structured?
In what ways are the structure of social networks related to patterns of social participation, and what external factors influence these relationships?