The Policy and Partnerships Unit at Understanding Society have been undertaking a programme of activities to explore the potential use of Understanding Society data in evaluating the impact of policies (broadly defined). A central theme has been the challenge of identifying counterfactual control groups and what methods are used in undertaking evaluations. This presentation will present case studies to illustrate the types of policies examined, the different methods used and the headline findings:
– The introduction of the ‘Bedroom tax’ (also known as the ‘under-occupation penalty’ or ‘removal of the spare room subsidy’) was a policy designed to reduce benefits by up to 25% for the targeted group. This evaluation used a difference-in-difference approach to examine whether the policy was achieving its goals and whether there were unintended consequences.
– What impact did the Covid-19 vaccine have on those most at risk of hospitalisation and death from SARS COV-2? This evaluation took advantage of the staged rollout of the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine and combined this with a matched approach to measure the impact of the vaccine on mental health.
– Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, inspect services providing education and skills for learners. Inspection reports are issued for schools, and this evaluation took advantage of the random timing of Understanding Society interviews to find out how parents respond to news of their child’s school assessment.