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<p>The current political moment in Britain is characterised by disaffection, affective polarisation, and populist mobilisation of these (dis)affections. How best to research these moody times? We argue that political studies could utilise Mass Observation (MO) more than it has done. An independent research organisation, MO has collected observations, diaries, and responses to ‘directives’ – sets of open-ended questions and tasks – from across the UK during two periods: 1937 to 1949, and 1981 to the present. These collections have been described as a ‘rare resource’ (Dalton <CitationRef CitationID="CR29">2020</CitationRef>: 964) of ‘exceptional quality’ (Hay <CitationRef CitationID="CR43">2024</CitationRef>: 482). We introduce MO, review existing uses of MO by scholars of British politics, locate MO in political studies’ methodological division of labour, and provide a guide for new users of the archive. We argue that MO provides distinctive access to public opinion, feeling, and behaviour in biographical context, historical context, and the context of everyday life.</p>

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Mass Observing British politics

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月7日

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  • Nick Clarke,
  • Alex Hill,
  • Jonathan Moss

摘要

The current political moment in Britain is characterised by disaffection, affective polarisation, and populist mobilisation of these (dis)affections. How best to research these moody times? We argue that political studies could utilise Mass Observation (MO) more than it has done. An independent research organisation, MO has collected observations, diaries, and responses to ‘directives’ – sets of open-ended questions and tasks – from across the UK during two periods: 1937 to 1949, and 1981 to the present. These collections have been described as a ‘rare resource’ (Dalton 2020: 964) of ‘exceptional quality’ (Hay 2024: 482). We introduce MO, review existing uses of MO by scholars of British politics, locate MO in political studies’ methodological division of labour, and provide a guide for new users of the archive. We argue that MO provides distinctive access to public opinion, feeling, and behaviour in biographical context, historical context, and the context of everyday life.