Politics

Politics in the broadest sense can be defined as the activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live. In particular, politics refers to achieving and exercising positions of governance, specifically in a state. Politics can be defined in a variety of different ways: the exercise of power, the exercise of authority, the making of collective decisions and the allocation of resources.

The UK Data Service holds a variety of data collections related to politics, from key government and longitudinal surveys to international indicators and qualitative historical interviews. These cover topics such as political opinions, civic participation, elections, political parties, and many more. Explore our library of impact case studies demonstrating how our data have been used. Find out how to search our catalogue.