Mass-Observation Archive

About the
collection

Topic Collections (1937 - 60)

Mass-Observation personnel investigated a number of specific topics from 1937 onwards. These investigations often spanned several years, and the resulting materials is organized as a series of over 80 Topic Collections. These are listed alphabetically below.

The topic collections consist of project plans, internal memoranda, correspondence, drafts and final versions of questionnaires, instructions to investigators and the results of surveys. Mass-Observation also collected press cuttings, articles, leaflets, pamphlets, posters, tickets, sketches and other ephemera relevant to individual surveys.

Some of the Topic Collections have been microfilmed and are indicated below - further information available.

Please note the following Topic Collections will be unavailable until early 2009 due to digitisation:

TC 17 Film; TC 20 Reading Habits; TC 28 Dreams; TC 47 Religion; TC 49 Victory Celebrations; TC 72 Captial Punishment.

Search Terms:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N/O P/Q R S T U/V W/X Y/Z

A

ADULT AND HIGHER EDUCATION 1937-48 (available on microfilm)
TC36 1 box
Material collected during the Worktown project in Bolton (1937) about WEA classes, educational facilities for unemployed people, summer schools etc. Also included is information on evening classes in London (1939); information on Oxford University; Goldsmiths Teacher Training College; attitudes of students, including leisure activities; miscellaneous papers on Universities, evening classes.

 

AIR RAIDS 1938-45 (available on microfilm)
TC23 12 boxes
Preparations for air raids, and assorted (and uneven) material collected from cities around Britain concerning the raids and their effect on daily life. Material includes Fulham ARP study, 1939; printed information; various observations, descriptions, overheard conversations collected in shelters; material on ARP personnel and the Home Guard, and on the wearing of gas masks. Related material may be found in the TOWN AND DISTRICT SURVEY Topic Collection, and various File Reports.

AIR RAID SHELTER COMPETITION 1939
TC35 Shared box
Response to the "Name a Shelter" competition organised by the Sunday Graphic in early 1939. It consists of 247 postcards with suggested names.

ANTI-SEMITISM 1939-51 (available on microfilm)
TC62 4 boxes
Material arising from M-O's surveys of 1939, 1946-47 and 1951 on attitudes to Jews in the light of contemporary world events. The 1939 survey was a general one of London's East End but it generated a substantial amount of information about attitudes to the plight of European Jews and to those living in Britain. The Anti-Semitism and Attitudes to Palestine surveys of 1946-47 are linked with Jewish resettlement. The collection as a whole includes ephemera on Jewish culture and reactions towards it.

ART 1938-49
TC33 3 boxes
This group of papers relates to the Ashington Group of Artists, 1938, the Unprofessional Painting exhibitions (1938-9) and other aspects of visual art. Also included are studies of the impact of war on artists, the Artists' International Association, the BBC and art, the War Artists' exhibition, pavement art and exhibitions from home and abroad (1942-3).

ASTROLOGY AND SPIRITUALISM 1938-47 (available on microfilm)
TC8 1 box
The collection contains interviews with astrologers and spiritualists; reports on palmistry, psychometry, psychic displays and visits to spiritualist churches; brochures, advertisements, leaflets, horoscopes, cuttings, and panel reports on psychic experiences.

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B

BEVERIDGE REPORT SURVEYS 1942-7 (available on microfilm)
TC53 4 boxes
This Topic Collection consists of replies to a March 1942 questionnaire on social services; pamphlets, press-cuttings and miscellaneous reactions on the publication of the report; planning material on the Voluntary Social Services Enquiry 1947; publicity material, reports and ephemera dealing with voluntary organisations; material on social service surveys of Dunster and Luccombe 1947, and also proposals for new social services and papers on human needs in planning 1947; replies to a questionnaire asking for definitions of terms e.g. charity, social service etc; interviews, reports and publications on Friendly Societies 1947; and questionnaires on attitudes to social services and voluntary work 1947.

BIRD-NESTING SURVEY 1951
TC30 1 box
A study of general knowledge about birds and nesting. Papers include questionnaires and essays completed by schoolchildren, printed ornithological material, correspondence with Richard Fitter (ornithologist and Mass-Observer) and an exploration of links between delinquency and bird-nesting.

BLIND PEOPLE 1947
TC31 1 box
A collection of surveys on attitudes to blind people carried out in Bolton, Bristol, Liverpool and Middlesbrough. Included are notes of interviews with flag sellers, children's attitudes, facilities and charities for the blind and the attitudes of blind people themselves.

"BRITAIN CAN MAKE IT" EXHIBITION 1946
TC26 5 boxes
An investigation into reactions to the design exhibition held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, September, 1946. Material comprises questionnaires, observations and ephemera.

BROWNS OF CHESTER 1942-55
TC24 11 boxes
A historical study of the origins of the clothing shop, Browns of Chester, with notes on the town itself. Documents collected include interviews with staff and shoppers, sales catalogues and correspondence. Drafts of the M-O publication Browns and Chester (1947) are included, as well as later studies of Browns (1955) and studies of other Chester businesses (1950-51).

THE BUDGET, MONEY MATTERS AND HOUSEHOLD BUDGETING 1939-50
TC57 6 boxes
Miscellaneous material on the effects of wartime and post-war changes in the economy. Reactions to wartime national budgets and their effects on taxation, income and sales are included, together with papers concerning the financial press, the devaluation of the pound in 1949 and the general postwar economic situation. Studies of rents in unfurnished accommodation (1950) and living on fixed incomes (1947) provide information on contemporary home economics.

BY-ELECTIONS 1937-47
TC46 18 boxes
Coverage of over 50 By-elections. Most of these investigations were summarised as File Reports. The interviews, observations, cuttings and ephemera gathered here contain the source material for the Reports.

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C

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT SURVEY 1938-56
TC72 7 boxes
In 1948 and 1955, M-O conducted two surveys on behalf of the Daily Telegraph on attitudes to the death penalty: the first survey resulted in 295 replies, the second in 4000. The main body of this collection is made up of questionnaire replies which provide details of the social and political affiliations of the respondents as well as papers concerned with survey organisation and analysis. The earlier constituents of the collection are solicited comments on capital punishment (1938) and observations of public reaction to an execution in 1946. Published material relating to the abolition debate is included.

CHILDREN AND EDUCATION 1937-52 (available on microfilm)
TC59 7 boxes
This collection describes child behaviour in observations, ephemera, interviews and essays written by children themselves on a range of subjects. Much of the collection is concerned with the life of children in wartime: their interests, environment, school life and perceptions.

COAL MINING 1938-48
TC64 2 boxes
The first part of this collection consists of a survey of two Welsh mining communities, Blaina and Nantyglo, over the period 1938-1944. The survey resulted in local demographic and administrative material as well as that concerning mining activity, and the manuscript of a proposed book drawing on these. The remaining material includes miscellaneous surveys of coal mines and miners (1939-48) including surveys commissioned by the National Coal Board of mining in the Doncaster area.

COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING 1938-47 (available on microfilm)
TC22 1 box
This is a small, miscellaneous collection relating to press advertising. Various advertising products are also included.

COMMODITIES 1941-64 (available on microfilm)
TC78 6 boxes
A miscellaneous collection of surveys on attitudes to various commodities. Items covered include washing machines, baked beans, razor blades, "Bob Martin" tablets for dogs, soap and detergents, bananas and fizzy drinks

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION AND PACIFISM 1939-44 (available on microfilm)
TC6 3 boxes
This group of papers consists mainly of individual acounts sent to M-O by members of the panel who were conscientious objectors themselves or who were engaged in pacifist activity. Also included are descriptions of meetings and other events and various printed leaflets. The third box contains results of a survey on attitudes to Conscientious Objectorss.

CO-OPERATIVE STORES SURVEY 1939-47 (available on microfilm)
TC21 1 box
Material resulting from M-O's survey of the London Co-operative Society Stores, 1946-47, with a small amount of earlier material. The survey included a number of questionnaires put to customers or potential customers of the Co-op, and observations of the behaviour of shoppers.

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D

DAY NURSERIES 1941-46 (available on microfilm)
TC19 1 box
Research carried out into the availability of day nurseries and the kind of care offered. The collection includes polemical literature, interviews with nursery staff and associated administrators, newspaper cuttings and correspondence about the type of facilities provided.

DEMOLITION IN LONDON 1941
TC15 Shared box
One file containing detailed reports written by an Observer working for a London demolition contractor clearing bombed buildings.

DOGS IN WARTIME 1939-42 (available on microfilm)
TC79 1 box
Public attitudes to dogs in wartime, problems of looking after dogs in air raids, food difficulties: surveys of dog owners and non-owners and consultation with organisations and professional breeders. Main survey carried out in various areas of London and Oxford 1941. Also covers pet food, pet accessories and pet shops.

DREAMS 1937-48
TC28 1 box
Reports on their dreams from members of M-O's volunteer panel.

DRINKING HABITS 1939-63
TC85 22 boxes
This collection contains pre-war and wartime material on juvenile drinking, women in pubs, children's essays on drink, also the big 1947-8 survey on drinking habits together with temperance literature, and market research from the 1950s and 1960s conducted for the breweries Guinness, Courage and Double Diamond.

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E

EVACUATION 1939-44 (available on microfilm)
TC5 2 boxes
The early evacuation of children from urban centres: personal experiences, observations, accounts from teachers and people whose homes became billets. Printed material was also collected. The effects on shops were noted. The second box includes observations of "trekkers" out of London.

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F

FAMILY PLANNING 1944-49 (available on microfilm)
TC3 4 boxes
This collection is largely the product of a series of M-O surveys of family size and behaviour. A survey of women's attitudes to family size was conducted in 1944 in the London, Gloucester, Kent and Oxford areas, and also among women working for Osram Ltd. The questionnaire includes work, future hopes, number of children (or the number hoped for), attitudes to careers, housing, religion and birth control. Approximately one thousand women were interviewed. The 1947 survey was conducted in London and includes comments on weddings, family size, parental control, sexual behaviour, engagements and divorce. This survey and the Ideal Family Survey, 1949, involved interviews with both men and women.

FAMOUS PERSONS 1938-52
TC14 1 box
A miscellaneous collection of surveys on attitudes to a selection of well-known figures: Chamberlain, Churchill, Hess, Hitler, Himmler, Roosevelt, Driberg, Heath (hanged for murder), King George VI, Gracie Fields and H G Wells.

FILMS 1937-48
TC17 15 boxes
This large collection is primarily one of descriptions of individual films shown over the period, observations and interviews on their public reception. Many of these films were Government information 'shorts': M-O analyses were summarised and presented to the Ministry of Information as File Reports. General analyses of the industry, specific accounts of cinema attendances, volunteer reports and related ephemera were collected. Also included are questionnaires (1940-42) on shops and shopping habits as part of the reporting on the MOI film "Rush Hour".

FOOD 1937-53 (available on microfilm)
TC67 9 boxes
A collection of surveys, reports, notes and published literature concerning patterns of food consumption. The wartime material covers aspects of food rationing and control including catering, official information and the black market. Sample menus covering the period 1941-1952 also make up part of the collection.

FORCES (MEN) 1939-56 (available on microfilm)
TC29 5 boxes
Attitudes and personal reports from male volunteer Mass-Observers in the Armed Forces including the Conscription Survey (1939); recruitment (1939); attitudes of the public (1940-41) soldier-civilian relations; the air war (1940); exhibitions and fund-raising events (1940-45). The collection also contains accounts of life in the Forces, the Home Guard, Army Education, and survey material on deserters (1947) and recruitment (1956). For women in the forces see WOMEN IN WARTIME.

FUEL 1937-47 (available on microfilm)
TC68 5 boxes
Material on the measures and effects of fuel rationing and control. The papers resulting from M-O's monthly surveys of fuel use between October and December 1942 are included here. They cover economy measures and reactions to various official information. Box 5 has been given over to the fuel crisis of 1947: questionnaires, special directive responses and notes on the effects of fuel shortage and the intervention of government.

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G

GAMES AND JIGSAWS 1937-41
TC 41: Shared box

This collection contains lists of games compiled by 10 year old girls, an M-O report on party games old and new and observations on games 1937-40. There are also notes on jigsaw puzzles 1940-1.

GAS MASKS 1939-43 (available on microfilm)
TC55 2 boxes
A survey of gas mask carrying as an indicator of wartime morale; observations of testing and instructions; counts of people carrying them and government instructions and advice about gas masks.

GENERAL ELECTIONS 1945-55
TC76 9 boxes
Material collected during the election campaigns of 1945 and 1950 includes reports on attitudes to issues involved and their presentation by the parties, notes on election meetings and campaign publicity, and related ephemera. The 1951 and 1955 material is less substantial, consisting mainly of statistical analyses, although Churchill's resignation in 1955 is covered.

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H

HAPPINESS 1938
TC7 1 box
This material relates entirely to a leaflet "What is Happiness?", a survey on attitudes in the guise of a competition, organised by Professor J Hilton in 1938. It includes original responses to the competition and completed follow-up questionnaires.

HEALTH 1939-49 (available on microfilm)
TC13 6 boxes
Topics covered include the effects of war on health, proposals for a state medical service, reviews of press coverage, and blood donations. Details exist of the 1949 National Health Service Survey, the Survey of Chemists Shops (1949) and Dentistry as a Career Survey (1955).

HOLIDAYS 1937-51 (available on microfilm)
TC58 2 boxes
A collection of notes, observations, reports and questionnaires on attitudes to popular holidays and holiday pastimes. The Beveridge Holiday Questionnaire (1947) studied holiday hopes, habits and finance, and opinions of holiday camps (reports of which are also part of the collection). Questionnaire replies exist from Birmingham, London, York and Exmoor. Earlier material documents attitudes to the 'Holidays at Home' campaign (1942-43) and ephemera related to British holidays covers the whole period. Some parts of the collection are concurrent with M-O's Worktown project.

HOUSING 1938-48 (available on microfilm)
TC1 10 boxes
Most of this material relates to the M-O publication People's Homes researched and written by Richard Fitter between 1941 and 1942. Additional material on pre-war housing issues and post-war reconstruction is included, with details of exhibitions and ephemera.

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I

INDUSTRY 1940-55
TC75 12 boxes
This collection concentrates mainly on industrial relations and factory conditions and their effects on wartime production. Most of the material was collected in 1941-42 in preparation for two M-O publications, People in Production (1942) and War Factory (1943).

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J

JOKES
TC 41: Shared box

A collection of jokes from various sources together with interviews with humorists 1940.

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 1946-47
TC11 2 boxes
This material relates entirely to work carried out for an M-O publication Juvenile Delinquency (Falcon Press, 1948). It includes first-hand accounts of life in Borstal. Box 2 contains case histories of boys in Borstal, interviews and observations at Feltham Prison and extracts from psychology publications on criminality.

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K

KOREA 1950
TC9 1 box
Material from one study conducted in London on public reactions to the war in Korea: the implications for world relations, the role of the USA and General MacArthur, the resignation of Sir Stafford Cripps and general political views.

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L

LABOUR PARTY CAMPAIGN 'ASK YOUR DAD' 1948
TC10 1 box
Response to a campaign mounted by the Labour Party to remind the public that the Tories had presided over bad social conditions and high unemployment between the wars. A special study of the slogan 'Ask Your Dad' during the Edmonton by-election 1948.

LEISURE 1940-47 (available on microfilm)
TC80 6 boxes
Four major surveys covering the likelihood of war, pubs, clubs, societies, religious practices, astrology, political allegiance, sporting activity and spectatorship, Pools, gambling, Sunday sport, world affairs, entertainment, reading, expenditure, newspaper readership. Includes biographical information about the respondents. Major leisure surveys were carried out in 1947. See also Topic Collections on DRINKING HABITS, GAMBLING, SPORT.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT 1938-48 (available on microfilm)
TC16 6 boxes
This collection has been organised under the general headings: Funfairs 1940-46; Pantomime 1939-44; Music Hall 1938-44; Theatre; Programmes and Advertisements; and Concerts 1937-48. Specific accounts of individual venues and events are included with ephemera, interviews and reports. The effects of war on performance content are noted.

LOCAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS 1937-51
TC84 1 box
This Topic Collection consists of written reports, leaflets and other ephemera collected during local council election campaigns throughout Britain.

LONDON SURVEY 1940 (available on microfilm)
TC65 5 boxes
The results of a survey carried out in London between July and October 1940 and sorted into fourteen weekly sections. The material contains reactions to contemporary news items and the range of subjects studied is broad, although M-O was particularly concerned with public morale immediately before and during the first air raids on London.

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M

MAGAZINES 1940-53
TC37 1 box
A small selection of Punch magazines from 1940 and 1951 (Festival of Britain edition) with a copy of Country Life from the Coronation, June 1953.

MEET YOURSELF ON SUNDAY 1948-50
TC81 1 box
Chiefly background material for the M-O book of the same name (1949) with organisational material, correspondence and historical information; observations and surveys of Sunday activities.

MUSIC, DANCING AND JAZZ 1939-41 (available on microfilm)
TC38 9 boxes
An assortment of items relating to contemporary music and dancing including material resulting from M-O's Jazz Survey (1939), and the 1941 Dance Music Survey. Other material includes general notes, descriptions of incidents, events and related ephemera such as lyrics, sheet music etc. Related material can be found in LIVE ENTERTAINMENT .

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N/O

NEWSPAPER READING 1937-62
TC61 15 boxes
Material includes a sequence of questionnaires and detailed surveys (1948, 1956-62) investigating public reading habits and preferences. Much of it was used as the basis of the M-O publication, The Press and its Readers (1949), and complements the Topic Collection PRESS

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P/Q

PEACE AND THE PUBLIC SURVEY 1956
TC56 2 boxes
Questionnaires and responses on attitudes to war, its prevention and the role of the United Nations in world affairs. The material was gathered in the wake of events in that year in Hungary and Egypt. It includes methodological notes and a final report. (An earlier survey, carried out by M-O for the New Commonwealth Society, was published as Peace and the Public, 1947

PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND CLOTHES 1938-54 (available on microfilm)
TC18 5 boxes
Observations, interview responses, press cuttings and reports on general fashion trends. Attitudes to, and the effects of, clothes rationing and wartime austerity are documented.

PHOTOGRAPHY 1940-44
TC52 1 box
A small collection of printed material advertising photographic equipment, also detailing unrestricted wartime subjects, questionnaires and interview notes on reactions to various photographic and poster subjects.

PICTURE POSTCARD ANALYSIS 1940-41
TC39 Shared box
Interviews with those involved in the industry and analysis of changing subject matter in wartime.

POETRY 1939-40
TC73 1 box
A small collection of published and unpublished poems together with material on the popularity of poetry, a questionnaire on attitudes to Horizon , analysis of war poetry and a selection of related articles and press cuttings.

POLICE, LAW AND INVASION PREPARATIONS 1939-41
TC54 1 box
Material concerning wartime security. The collection contains notes on defence regulations and their enforcement, the work of the judiciary and invasion planning. The Invasion Leaflet Survey (1940) is an analysis, compiled from questionnaire replies from London and the Home Counties, of the effectiveness of Ministry of Information literature on invasion.

POLITICAL ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOUR 1938-56
TC25 19 boxes
An extensive collection on attitudes to a wide range of political subjects. These include reactions to war events, attitudes to aliens and other nations including USA and USSR, Chamberlain and Churchill, USA entering the war, attitudes to Stafford Cripps and feelings about the future of the Empire. The collection is only a small part of all material collected by M-O about political attitudes and behaviour and should be used in conjunction with other sources of information in the Archive.

POSTERS 1939-47
TC42 5 boxes
Data collected during a series of poster surveys, notable as a record of attitudes evoked by wartime public information campaign posters and recording in part M-O's liaison with the Ministry of Information. The collection is also concerned with some commercial advertising and complements the M-O poster collection. A related Topic Collection is PROPAGANDA AND MORALE.

POST WAR HOPES 1944 (available on microfilm)
TC40 1 box
A small collection of responses to an essay competition organised by the British Legion in 1944. Related analysis shows directions of interest and opinion under several group headings, including employment, education, economics and reconstruction. Related information may be found in the RECONSTRUCTION Topic Collection.

PRESS 1938-42
TC60 3 boxes
This collection relates to newspaper circulation and advertising, press freedom and content. Documents include reports, analysis and representative cuttings and extracts. Related information may be found in the NEWSPAPER READING HABITS Topic Collection.

PROPAGANDA AND MORALE 1939-44 (available on microfilm)
TC43 5 boxes
Records of wartime work, much of it carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Information, on the public effects of government information. As well as an assessment of individual campaigns this collection contains analyses of general morale and public opinion during the course of the last war. A large amount of related material exists in File Reports, Directive Replies and Diaries, as well as Topic Collections such as AIR RAIDS, EVACUATION, INDUSTRY, LONDON SURVEY, TOWN AND DISTRICT SURVEY,

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES IN WARTIME 1941-42 (available on microfilm)
TC44 1 box
This material derives from a survey of public administration carried out in 1942 on behalf of Eric Biddle of the Public Administration Clearing House, Chicago, USA. A number of British administrative bodies were questioned on aspects of their wartime function and experience. Their responses are included with copies of the survey document in various stages of completeness.

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R

RADIO LISTENING 1939-44
TC74 4 boxes
This collection contains material on radio and broadcasting. Wartime material includes scripts, reports, observations and the 1940 M-O Programme Surveys. Post-war material consists of responses to a special directive on radio listening, 1947-48, and miscellaneous material pertaining to both radio and television. One box in the collection is devoted to Tom Harrisson's wartime public broadcasts and reviews.

RADIO REDIFFUSION SURVEYS 1949 AND 1955
TC45 2 boxes
Two privately-commissioned surveys of listening habits and opinions on broadcast material, both carried out in the Plymouth and Nottingham areas. The second survey refers to television viewing mainly with reference to the sponsor company itself.

READING HABITS 1937-47
TC20 14 boxes
This Topic Collection consists primarily of material associated with the buying and reading of books, and the use of bookshops and libraries. Material includes a series of Library Surveys (1939-40, 1942, 1943, 1946-47) the Penguin Books Survey (1946-47), and a small file of ephemera from political publishers. This collection overlaps thematically with NEWSPAPER READING.

RECONSTRUCTION 1941-43 (available on microfilm)
TC2 3 boxes
A collection of papers representing public views and aspirations concerning future society and the measures proposed by various planning agencies to match them. The collection includes data from the M-O Reconstruction Surveys of 1941 and 1942, and questionnaire and Directive replies on future hopes and expectations. The material is extensive in scope and includes employment, politics, urban development and housing. Related material exists in the POST WAR HOPES collection.

RELIGION 1937-50
TC47 14 boxes
This collection contains pre-war material relating to church services , activities and architecture; reports on the early effects of the war on church attendance and religious attitudes; reports and surveys on astrology, spiritualism and superstition 1940-48; letters and ephemera relating to religion in the forces 1941-50; reports on the Salvation Army 1942 and 1946; material on church attendance and activities 1948-49; and a survey on education and religion 1948. See also ASTROLOGY .

ROAD SAFETY 1946-55
TC71 1 box
This box contains material relating to road safety campaigns: correspondence, graphs, printed material and responses to the 'Limping Boy' poster 1954.

ROYALTY 1942-64
TC69 17 boxes
This group of boxes mostly comprises material relating to the Coronation of 1953 (15 boxes) including observations and surveys in London and a collection of one day diaries kept by members of the volunteer panel for Coronation Day. Printed material and memorabilia are also included.

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S

SCIENCE 1938-41
TC34 1 box
Material assigned to this small collection consists largely of correspondence, manuscripts and notes exploring the changing status of science and scientists in the early stages of the war.

SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR 1939-50
TC12 16 boxes
Most of this material derives from M-O's Sex Survey, 1949, including a substantial number of completed and extensive questionnaires on sexual attitudes and behaviour. Additional literature covers birth control, proprietary manufactures, "lonely hearts" organisations and sexual roles and relationships.

SHOPPING 1939-63 (available on microfilm)
TC4 7 boxes
The M-O Shops Surveys of 1942 and more specialised surveys, such as Shoe Shops (1941) and Hats (1948) form the basis of a collection documenting general shopping patterns, with particular reference to rationing and shortage. Appended to the main body of the collection is 1963 material for a proposed book. Related material on shopping habits (1940-42) is included in FILMS as part of the research into the MOI film "Rush Hour"

SMOKING HABITS 1937-65
TC63 9 boxes
This collection consists primarily of material relating to smoking habits, including the rationing of cigarettes, their effects on health and relevant ephemera. Material relates to the M-O surveys of 1941, 1943, 1949 and 1957, into various aspects of cigarette and pipe smoking. Later material is mainly concerned with brand preference.

SPORT 1939-47 (available on microfilm)
TC82 2 boxes
Effects of the war on sporting events: reports, small surveys and the response to a national poll carried out by the Sunday Pictorial. Contains various notes and reports on individual sports including programmes, tickets, articles and interviews.

SQUATTING 1946
TC48: Shared box
Material consisting mainly of reports on post-war squatting in disused military camps.

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T

TOWN AND DISTRICT SURVEY 1938-49
TC66 24 boxes
A collection of local surveys carried out over a period of eleven years. The amount of material on each area varies as does survey content mainly due to the relatively long period involved. Much material overlaps with other collections especially those concerning AIR RAIDS and MORALE. Substantial time-series data exist for some of those areas studied, which include rural locations as well as conurbations.

TRANSPORT 1937-43 AND 1963
TC70 5 boxes
Material in this collection consists of miscellaneous reports and observations on public and private transport, and related printed material and ephemera. In 1939 M-O collected and analysed over one thousand questionnaires, mainly from the South, on public awareness of the "Square Deal" transport campaign to enable more effective competition from the railways. In the same year two surveys were carried out at London stations to find effective posters to emphasise the importance of freight traffic. The 1963 material comprises approximately fifty questionnaire replies on transport use in Durham and Northumberland.

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U/V

VICTORY CELEBRATIONS 1945-46
TC49 2 boxes
Consisting of diary extracts, reports, interview responses and other relevant printed material, this collection is a record of reactions to the end of war over the periods leading up to and including VE Day (8 May 1945) and VJ Day (15 August 1945). Included is a review of the planned Victory Day, 8 June 1946, in the form of directive responses, questionnaires and reports.

VOTING ATTITUDES 1944
TC83 1 box
A survey of voting attitudes conducted in Eastbourne and Harwich in 1944, the latter on behalf of the Common Wealth Party.

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W/X

WALL CHALKINGS 1939-43 (available on microfilm)
TC41 Shared Box
This file contains collections of chalk markings and graffiti from London, Glasgow and Hastings, press-cuttings and material relating to litter trails.

WOMEN IN WARTIME 1939-45 (available on microfilm)
TC32 4 boxes
Much of the material in this collection, an investigation of wartime employment for women, results from the ATS Survey of 1941. There are detailed, inside reports on all aspects of WAAF life. A collection of letters from women munitions workers is included however, together with material concerning employment in civil areas, and information on women's organisations. This material is related to women's attitudes to war work and omits references to other areas of their lives, for which relevant Topic Collections should be consulted: EVACUATION, HEALTH, INDUSTRY, PERSONAL APPEARANCE, SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR, SHOPPING.

WORK: UNEMPLOYMENT, REGISTRATION AND DEMOBILISATION 1939-46 (available on microfilm)
TC27 3 boxes
This collection contains material on unemployment in the pre-war period, the effects of war on employment, and post war demobilisation. An M-O survey commissioned by Osram Ltd in 1943 and the Demobilisation Survey of the same year document attitudes to demobilisation. Included are notes and reports on conscription and registration. There is considerable overlap between this collection and others, especially INDUSTRY, FORCES, WOMEN IN WARTIME and CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION.

WORLD OUTLOOK 1945-50
TC50 4 boxes
Material describing opinions of the post war world. The collection includes replies to questionnaires on the perceived prospect of future war, causes of and ways of avoiding war. This collection complements the RECONSTRUCTION and PEACE AND THE PUBLIC SURVEY collections.

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Y/Z

YOUTH 1937-43 (available on microfilm)
TC51 3 boxes
Material related to the social and cultural activities of young people, divided thematically into three parts. Part one concerns observations and ephemera on youth activities and organisations in the period 1937-40. Material resulting from the M-O Youth Survey in 1941 forms the second part of the collection, while the last part is devoted to a study of youth clubs, and later questionnaires. The Youth Survey was carried out in the Paddington and Bermondsey areas of London and included questions on employment and leisure activities.