Press coverage from previous years
SIRC in the News
Press coverage from 2011
- Telegraph — 13.10.2011.
Why alcohol is not as strong as we imagine – or is it? The effects of alcohol are not nearly as powerful as we imagine. In fact, cultural norms and the behaviour of people around us have more to do with how we behave when drunk than any properties of booze itself ... This is what Kate Fox argues in an excellent article on the BBC website. She believes that everything we're told about alcohol, far from improving people's behaviour, actually acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
- BBC News — 12.10.2011.
Viewpoint Is the alcohol message all wrong? Many people think heavy drinking causes promiscuity, violence and anti-social behaviour. That's not necessarily true, argues Kate Fox ... Clearly, we Brits do have a bit of a problem with alcohol, but why?
The problem is that we Brits believe that alcohol has magical powers - that it causes us to shed our inhibitions and become aggressive, promiscuous, disorderly and even violent.
But we are wrong.
- Express — 10.10.2011.
Myth of obesity in children. Obesity rates among children in Scotland are far lower than those in supposedly healthy Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Spain, says the World Health Organisation(WHO) ... Dr Peter Marsh of the Social Issues Research [Centre] said: "The people making the most noise about children in the UK getting fatter are funded by pharmaceutical companies, who happen to make weight reduction drugs".
- Telegraph — 01.10.2011.
Why we always warm to the weather. In Britain, until around the end of the First World War, late heatwaves were known as "St Martin’s Summers" — the feast of St Martin falling on November 11 — and in much of Europe they still are. Other countries have their own pet terms ... The big difference is that the British talk about it more. Crippled by reserve and social awkwardness, we seize upon the weather as one subject we can discuss without difficulty or class guilt. "Britons need weather-talk to help us overcome our handicaps," explains Kate Fox, director of the Social Issues Research Centre. "We talk about it a lot, but not because it is an intrinsically interesting topic. People use weather-talk to facilitate social interaction."
- The Gleaner (Jamaica) — 11.09.2011.
Can Insurer Penalise Me For Not Driving? The driving habits of men and women differ. These differences " in terms of crash rates are evident in a wide range of countries ... the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa, with males being significantly more at risk than females." This was one of the findings of a 2004 study prepared by the Social Issues Research Centre in the United Kingdom. The numbers collected by the Road Safety Unit of our transport ministry follow the global pattern. The risky behaviours of men lead to more crashes.
- Men's Health — 02.08.2011.
Make Her Fall For You (Without Her Realising It). Decoding her poker face is easier than you might think. Studies by the Social Issues Research Centre in the UK proved that while it’s possible to control your words and facial expressions, your real thoughts will slip out via 'unconscious leakage', such as secondary body language and key phrases.>/li>
- LGA Analysis and Research Bulletin — 01.08.2011.
Education and children’s services. The changing face of motherhood
This research from the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) looks at the changing nature
of families, divisions of labour within the family, child care and the impact of domestic
technologies. For more information visit: http://www.sirc.org/publik/CFOM.pdf.
- Los Angeles Times — 28.07.2011.
What's it like to struggle with eating disorders? Portia de Rossi tells all in 'Unbearable Lightness'. Like it or not, studies show attractive people have an edge in everything from being hired to being set free (yes, they are less likely to be found guilty at trials), according to a report from the Social Issues Research Centre in Britain. But aspiring to an unrealistic standard of beauty can lead to destructive eating disorders, which is what happened to actress Portia de Rossi. Phoebe Flowers of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reflects on the buzz around De Rossi's new book, 'Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain', which hit bookstores Monday.
- Gulf News — 01.07.2011.
Family matters: Trouble in the ranks. A report from the Social Issues Research Centre in the UK titled The Changing Face of Motherhood reveals that 90 per cent of mothers in this decade feel guilt about the amount of time they spend with their children.
- OneIndia — 24.07.2011.
Do Men Gossip More Than Women? "Women are more skilled than men at making gossip entertaining." — Kate Fox. I can see the silent nods and a nasty smile on many men's face after reading that quote. Well! I am not being feminist but here is a research that states that men gossip more than or as much as women. Find out what are the topics that interest them and all about men's gossips. The Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC), a nonprofit think tank in England, recently interviewed 1,000 cellphone users about how they use their phones for gossip and how gossip affects their lives. All the women in the survey admitted that 'gossips' are a part of their lives, but many male participants initially denied that they gossip.
- Sunday Mail(Queensland) — 24.07.2011.
Are we now a nation of blubberers? A recent survey by the Social Issues Research Centre shows that 90 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men think it has become socially acceptable in the past few decades for blokes to cry.
- Irish Independent — 02.07.2011.
Sugar and spite. Says Kate Fox, a researcher at the UK's Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC): "Females, as gatherers and with responsibility for bearing and raising children, also had a critical need to build cooperation and trust with other females. A woman in childbirth or with young babies was highly vulnerable and in need of protection and support -- cooperation with other females, both in gathering food and in childcare, was essential to survival." In 2007, Fox wrote a paper entitled 'Girl Talk' for the research centre, in which she unearthed a curious development in the nature of female friendships. The life span of friendships for women of my generation was getting shorter.
- Public Service Review — 27.05.2011.
Salad days? A decade ago, an extensive study by the Social Issues Research Centre looking at the attitudes of young people to diet found that an alarming proportion of those surveyed, particularly females, were developing dysfunctional relationships with food. The report found that young people's fixation on weight and the media's tendency to sensationalise healthy eating messages contributed to a food neurosis. Much has changed in the UK since that report was published.
- Le Temps — 02.05.2011.
Le melting-pot du Grand National de Liverpool. Contrairement à la croyance populaire, les courses hippiques au Royaume-Uni, et Aintree en particulier, ne sont pas réservées aux toffs, aux aristos. Anthropologue et codirectrice du Social Issues Research Centre d’Oxford, Kate Fox s’est intéressée au comportement social des amateurs de courses hippiques. Elle y a constaté un «microclimat social» où se mélangent dans une remarquable harmonie toutes les classes sociales. Les femmes ont droit à une déférence anachronique digne des esprits chevaleresques: ce sont des ladies, des dames dont les tenues vestimentaires confinent à l’exhibitionnisme de bon ou de mauvais goût. Les spectateurs de courses hippiques ont des comportements.
- De Pers — 29.04.2011.
Duizend knagende mensen. Canon en The Social Issues Research Centre hebben eens onderzocht hoe fans in de Europese landen wedstrijden beleven. De Hongaarse supporters zijn zeer gemiddeld, over het algemeen niet heel enthousiast tijdens de wedstrijd. Het gaat hen vooral om het ontmoeten van vrienden en de sfeer. Dat blijkt goed tijdens Szolnoki-Vastas Boedapest. De wedstrijd wordt nauwelijks bekeken, het gaat vooral om bijpraten en zaadjes eten. Tenzij je geen eigen zakje hebt. Gedeeld wordt er namelijk zeker niet.
- Christian Science Monitor — 24.04.2011.
Common scents in the garden. By becoming more aware of the way specific odors affect you personally, you can enrich your gardening experience. Start with your favorite flowers, seek out the floral components of your signature cologne or aftershave, examine the top notes of your preferences in incense, body wash, herb and spice mixes, etc ... For more information on the interactions between the sense of smell and emotions, you can read The Social Issues Research Center's Smell Report by clicking here.
- CNN — 23.04.2011.
U.S. Sports Fans, Get Passionate. It’s not meant to be fun, it’s not meant to be entertaining. It’s serious. So serious that the Italians even have two words for 'fan', distinguishing the regular foot soldiers from the super-dedicated, vocal and sadly occasionally aggressive 'ultras'. So serious that 60% of European fans said the game was like a religion to them, according to the UK’s Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC). Being a fan means experiencing extreme emotions from heart-pounding ecstasy to utter despair.
- Northern Echo — 29.03.2011.
Changing face of motherhood. While the home may be packed with helpful gadgets and gizmos, it’s often not frequented by the wider family, so mum may not have the help from relatives she might have received in years gone by. And because 68 per cent of modern mums work, they believe they have less time for themselves than their own mums did. Just 23 per cent of mums worked 40 years ago ... The Changing Face of Motherhood survey, carried out by the Social Issues Research Centre, found that today’s young mums see the Seventies and Eighties as the decades they would most like to have brought their babies up, because they perceive them as being less pressured.
- Mail — 25.03.2011.
Work: why it's good for your health. Scientific evidence shows that gossiping and office banter among human beings is the equivalent to 'social grooming' — the common activity of stroking and displays of affection that bonds apes and monkeys ... According to anthropologist Kate Fox, co-founder of the Social Issues Research Centre, 'social grooming' in animals is equivalent to gossiping among humans which has the ability to raise our body's feel-good hormones. "It's likely that office bantering is a type of social bonding which gives people a sense of belonging to a community or team. If people's feel-good hormones are raised during the day, this gives them a sense of happiness and well-being which helps protect against stress - a condition that can lead to more serious diseases,' she says."
- Yorkshire Post — 24.03.2011.
Mothers look back to times that were less pressured. The P&G Changing Face of Motherhood report, which looks at changes from the 1930s to the present day and carried out by the Social Issues Research Centre, found that today’s young mothers see the 1970s and 1980s as the decades they would most like to have brought their babies up in, because they perceive them as being less pressured.
- AutoTrader — 24.03.2011.
White Van Man - Fact or Fable? On the whole, the majority of van drivers rate themselves as pretty good drivers. According to research carried out by the Social Issues Research Centre, around 75% of men rate themselves as better than average drivers. Most van drivers also reckon they are non-aggressive with only 10% admitting to the 'occasional misdemeanour!
- Star — 22.03.2011.
Take a peek inside the white kings of the road. There are about 2.5million white vans in the UK – one for every 24 members of the population. Essex is the county with the highest proportion ... The 'white van man' phrase was coined by DJ Sarah Kennedy, now 60, on Radio 2 in 1997. The average white van driver is a married man aged 42 ... They are pet lovers who rarely drink in the week, boffins at the Oxford-based Social Issues Research Centre discovered.
- Independent (Zambia) — 17.03.2011.
Motherhood 'was better in the 70s and 80s'. Being a mother is apparently not like it was in the good old days. Today’s parents yearn for the golden age that their own mothers enjoyed in the 1970s and 80s, researchers found ... Kate Fox, of the Social Issues Research Centre, which conducted the survey for Procter & Gamble, said: "With increasing pressure on mothers to work a 'double shift' — to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner — support networks are more important than ever."
- ABC News — 09.03.2011.
Working Mom Guilt: When the Office Cuts Into Home Time. Women juggling a job and parenting just get 26 minutes a day to themselves, a study has revealed. Researchers at Social Issues Research Centre in the UK also found no let-up in later life when kids have left home.
- Times of India — 09.03.2011.
For working mothers, just 26 mins of 'me time' a day. Women juggling a job and parenting just get 26 minutes a day to themselves, a study has revealed. Researchers at Social Issues Research Centre in the UK also found no let-up in later life when kids have left home — once the working moms become grandmothers, they end up looking after little ones all over again. The study report, 'Changing Face of Motherhood', has revealed the pressures modern-day mums face compared to previous generations dating back to the 1930s.
- Top News (NZ) — 09.03.2011.
Working mums in UK under constant pressure to be "the perfect mother." Pressures that the modern-day working mums in the UK face — in terms of juggling a job with looking after children — leave them with hardly any 'me time' during the day; a new study has found! ... What is more disquieting is that the study – conducted by the researchers at UK’s Social Issues Research Centre — has further revealed that there is no let-up for women even later in life. Once the working women become grandmothers, they end up looking after little ones yet again — their grandchildren!
- Pune Mirror — 09.03.2011.
Mothers get 26 minutes a day for themselves. Researchers in Britain revealed that an average working mother gets barely 26 minutes to relax in daily life. Juggling a job with looking after children means the average British mother does not even get half-an-hour to herself, the study revealed. The report also found no let-up in later life when kids have left home. According to the Social Issues Research Centre, once the women turn grandparents, again they end up looking after little ones. The centre reveals the pressures modern-day mums face, compared to previous generations dating to the 1930s.
- Express — 08.03.2011.
Mums’ me-time cut to 26 minutes. A fifth of mums think that living closer to their own mother is the single most important thing that would improve their quality of life. Kate Fox, co-director of the Social Issues Research Centre which undertook the research, said: “Motherhood has never been, and never should be, a solitary endeavour. With the increasing pressure on mothers to work a ‘double shift’ – to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner — support networks are more important than ever. "And mothers are using every means of communication available to build the strong communities and networks of family and friends that they need."
- Sun — 08.03.2011.
Mums get 26mins a day to themselves. Juggling a job with looking after kids means the average British mum does not even get half an hour to herself, a study commissioned by P&G reveals today. The report - issued to coincide with International Women's Day — also found no let-up in later life when kids have left home. Once they become grans they end up looking after little ones all over again, according to the Social Issues Research Centre.
- Mail — 08.03.2011.
Motherhood 'was better in the 70s and 80s', according to today's under-pressure working mums. Kate Fox, of the Social Issues Research Centre, which conducted the survey for Procter & Gamble, said: "With increasing pressure on mothers to work a 'double shift' — to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner — support networks are more important than ever."
- Education News — 08.03.2011.
70s and 80s 'best for children'. A report suggests mothers feel the 1970s and 1980s were the best time to raise children. More than two-thirds of mothers now work full or part-time. Although 68% of mothers work full or part-time today, they are twice as likely to be involved in childcare as fathers, according to the report. But the Changing Face of Motherhood report suggests nine out of 10 mothers feel guilty about how much time they spend with their children. Over a third think they have less time for themselves than their mothers did. The research carried out by the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) and published on international Women’s Day, based its findings on focus groups with mothers and grandmothers and a survey of 1,000 mothers. It also considered statistics from the 1930s to the present day.
- Herald — 08.03.2011.
Mothers get just 26 minutes of ‘me time’ a day. he study of 1000 women, from across Britain, found more than one-third of mothers believed they have less time to themselves than their mothers did a generation earlier. The Changing Face of Motherhood report, which tracked the role of motherhood from the 1930s, was commissioned by household goods firm, Procter & Gamble. Kate Fox, co-director of the Social Issues Research Centre in Bristol, said modern mothers had to put in a 'double shift' every day because they had to be both a full-time worker and full-time mother. Ms Fox said: "Motherhood has never been and never should be a solitary endeavour."
- Telegraph — 08.03.2011.
Mothers have just 26 minutes to themselves each day. The survey of 1,000 mothers was undertaken for Procter and Gamble, the household products company, jointly with the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC). It found that 56 per cent of mothers felt they had either the same amount of free time as their own mothers or even less. On average, today’s mothers had only 26 minutes per day of 'me time'.
- BBC News — 08.03.2011.
1970s and 1980s 'were the best time to raise children'. he Changing Face of Motherhood report suggests nine out of 10 mothers feel guilty about how much time they spend with their children. Over a third think they have less time for themselves than their mothers did. The research carried out by the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) and published on international Women's Day, based its findings on focus groups with mothers and grandmothers and a survey of 1,000 mothers. It also considered statistics from the 1930s to the present day.
- Indian Express — 08.03.2011.
Working moms 'get 26 mins a day to themselves'. Women juggling a job and parenting just get 26 minutes a day to themselves, a study has revealed. Researchers at Social Issues Research Centre in the UK also found no let-up in later life when kids have left home — once the working moms become grandmothers, they end up looking after little one.
- Deccan Herald — 08.03.2011.
Mothers get 26 minutes a day for themselves: Study. As the world celebrated International Women's Day Tuesday, researchers in Britain revealed that an average working mother gets barely 26 minutes to relax in daily life. Juggling a job with looking after children means the average British mother does not even get half-an-hour to herself, the study revealed. The report, issued to coincide with International Women's Day, also found no let-up in later life when kids have left home ... According to the Social Issues Research Centre, once the women turn grandparents, again they end up looking after little ones. The centre in its report — the Changing Face of Motherhood — reveals the pressures modern-day mums face, compared to previous generations dating back to the 1930s.
- Cosmopolitan — 17.02.2011.
Eye of the beholder. According to the Social Issues Research Centre, the most common mistake people make when flirting is maintaining too much eye contact.
- Men's Health — 06.02.2011.
What to say to a woman. Decoding her poker face is easier than you might think. Studies by the Social Issues Research Centre in Oxford proved that while it's possible to control your words and facial expressions, your real thoughts will slip out via 'unconscious leakage', such as secondary body language and key phrases.
- Victoire — 29.01.2011.
Boule et balle. Que la vue de corps athlétiques et l'exercice physique titillent notre libido, on le savait déjà. Mais certains sports se frottent au sexe aussi par leur symbolique érotique. La moitié des Européens fans de foot préfèrent regarder un match important plutôt que de faire des galipettes avec leur chère et tendre, dixit un sondage 2008 mené par le Sirc (Social Issues Research Centre) britannique auprès de deux mille adeptes. En conclure que le ballon passerait avant le sexe serait cependant aller un peu vite en besogne. Car le spectacle sportif en tant que tel peut procurer une forme de jouissance.
- Radikal (Turkey), PressTurk — 24.01.2011.
2020 yilinda flört. Ingiliz arastirma kurulusu Social Issues Research Centre’in 2004’te yayimladigi raporda flört, iki kisi arasinda olusan elektrik sonucu, cinsellik ya da tamamen eglence amaçli bir sosyallesme metodu olarak tanimlaniyor. Ayni rapora göre, günümüzde flört için en uygun olan partiler, kafe ve restoranlar ya da is ortamlari, 2020 yilinda yerini sanal aleme birakacak.
- The Publican — 19.01.2011.
The sanctity of the round. Buying rounds serves an immensely important purpose. It brings people together, provides a bond and cultivates a sense of belonging. Dr Peter Marsh, co-director of the Social Issues Research Centre, (SIRC) maintains that we shouldn't miss the significance of the giving and receiving within a group. "It's civilisation in action in a pub" he says. If you believe the Guide to British Pub Etiquette, (produced from research on pub life carried out by the SIRC) then it’s particularly important to the emotionally inhibited British male. The guide states: "Reciprocal gift-giving is the most effective means of preventing aggression between nations, tribes and individuals. In the British pub, it is essential because the British male is frightened of intimacy, finds it difficult to express friendly interest in other males and can be somewhat aggressive."
- Metro — 07.01.2011.
How to survive the 'unhappiest day of the year' 4) Have a good gossip.
Seriously, get stuck in because according to social anthropologist Kate Fox, who plies her trade at the ... Social Issues Research Centre, gossip is to humans what social grooming is among primates, and it gets the endorphins moving.
- Mail — 14.01.2011.
Office banter protects against stress. Scientific evidence shows that gossiping and office banter among human beings is the equivalent to 'social grooming' - the common activity of stroking and displays of affection that bonds apes and monkeys ... According to anthropologist Kate Fox, co-founder of the Social Issues Research Centre, 'social grooming' in animals is equivalent to gossiping among humans which has the ability to raise our body's feel-good hormones. "It's likely that office bantering is a type of social bonding which gives people a sense of belonging to a community or team. If people's feel-good hormones are raised during the day, this gives them a sense of happiness and well-being which helps protect against stress - a condition that can lead to more serious diseases," she says.
- Sun — 04.01.2011.
Last orders for the round. The Social Issues Research Centre think tank has found that being in a round means that you are accepted as a member of a group and this helps to maintain the peace. The SIRC reported: "On average, 'initiating' round-buyers (those who regularly buy the first round) spend no more money than 'waiting' round-buyers (those who do not offer a round until later in the session). Yet 'initiating' round-buyers are perceived as friendly and generous, and enjoy great popularity among other regulars, whereas 'waiting' round-buyers are less well-liked, and often regarded as miserly."
- Observer — 01.01.2011.
'Horrendous' housing trends slam door on first-time buyers. It all builds up to a society in which young people are increasingly reliant on their parents. A study by the Social Issues Research Centre described 18- to 25-year-olds as the "bungee brood" who had failed to sever links to their parental purse strings. Peter Marsh, director of the SIRC and author of the report "Young People and Financial Independence", says: "Financial independence is now becoming out of reach for a vast majority of people unless they can rely on the 'bank of mum and dad'." He claimed that growing numbers of young adults were "very cautious and depressed" about their futures in terms of buying a home, paying off debt and finding a secure job.