Sending out questionnaires
Sending out Questionnaires
The questionnaire is one of the key techniques used by Mass Observation to collect information about daily life and public opinion in Britain and has been used throughout the entire lifetime of MO, from 1939 to the present day.
Monthly Directives
Starting in January 1939, Mass Observation produced a monthly questionnaire (called a Directive) which it distributed to members of the volunteer panel. Each directive presented a set of open-ended questions on topics as varied as religion, jazz music, war-time Britain and cinema.
Directive responses form an invaluable part of the Mass Observation collection, as they provide a wonderful insight into the diversity of public opinion and personal experience in Britain. The content generated by the historical directives provides an invaluable resource for historians and researchers looking for specific information on British life.
Learn more about the contemporary uses of questionnaires in Mass Observation by the current volunteer writer Bob Rust. On the Mass Observation Archive website you can find a number of booklets relating to Mass Observation research, particularly the recent Directives since 1981.
