Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (formerly known as the ONS Opinions Survey or Omnibus) is an omnibus survey that began in 1990, collecting data on a range of subjects commissioned by both the ONS internally and external clients (limited to other government departments, charities, non-profit organisations and academia).Data are collected from one individual aged 16 or over, selected from each sampled private household. Personal data include data on the individual, their family, address, household, income and education, plus responses and opinions on a variety of subjects within commissioned modules. The questionnaire collects timely data for research and policy analysis evaluation on the social impacts of recent topics of national importance, such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the cost of living, on individuals and households in Great Britain. From April 2018 to November 2019, the design of the OPN changed from face-to-face to a mixed-mode design (online first with telephone interviewing where necessary). Mixed-mode collection allows respondents to complete the survey more flexibly and provides a more cost-effective service for customers. In March 2020, the OPN was adapted to become a weekly survey used to collect data on the social impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the lives of people of Great Britain. These data are held in the Secure Access study, SN 8635, ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, Covid-19 Module, 2020-2022: Secure Access. From August 2021, as coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were lifting across Great Britain, the OPN moved to fortnightly data collection, sampling around 5,000 households in each survey wave to ensure the survey remains sustainable. The OPN has since expanded to include questions on other topics of national importance, such as health and the cost of living. For more information about the survey and its methodology, see the ONS OPN Quality and Methodology Information webpage.Secure Access Opinions and Lifestyle Survey dataOther Secure Access OPN data cover modules run at various points from 1997-2019, on Census religion (SN 8078), cervical cancer screening (SN 8080), contact after separation (SN 8089), contraception (SN 8095), disability (SNs 8680 and 8096), general lifestyle (SN 8092), illness and activity (SN 8094), and non-resident parental contact (SN 8093). See Opinions and Lifestyle Survey: Secure Access for details.
Main Topics:Each month's questionnaire consists of two elements: core questions, covering demographic information, are asked each month together with non-core questions that vary from month to month.
The non-core questions for this month were: Tobacco consumption (Module 210): this module was asked on behalf of Customs and Excise to help them estimate the amount of tobacco consumed as cigarettes. Disability Discrimination Act (Module 271): this module was asked on behalf of the Disability Policy Division of the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) and the Disability Rights Commission. The questions concern access to services and facilities by disabled people. Access to services (Module 251): asked on behalf of the Social Analysis Branch of ONS Social and Regional Division, the first half asks how respondents travel to various services and to work, and the second half asks how easy it is to get to these services. Careers (Module 280): this module was asked on behalf of Professor Michael Rose, head of Social Research at the University of Bath. The exercise is part of a larger, European study on people's satisfaction with their work and careers. Volunteering (Module 275): asked on behalf of the Social Analysis Branch of ONS Social and Regional Division, this module is concerned with volunteering. That is, any unpaid activity which helps other people or the environment and is carried out through a group or organisation. Complementary medicine (Module 282): this module was asked on behalf of the Department of Health and was about actual treatment received rather than remedies bought over the counter. FSA Recognition (Module 284): this module asked respondents if they were aware of the Financial Services Authority and where they obtained their financial information. Age-gaps (Module 281): this module was asked on behalf of the Universities of London (King's College Gerontology Unit and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) and Leicester to find out more about people's plans and activities as they grow older. Public confidence in official statistics (Module 197): this module followed on from pilot work begun in the November 1996 survey, and aimed to measure: 1) whether people have heard of ONS or its component parts - the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, and the Central Statistical Office, and 2) the level of public confidence in official statistics (those produced by ONS).
Multi-stage stratified random sample
Face-to-face interview
