Stories
These short pieces are based on information held in the Archive and aim to demonstrate that there is no such thing as ‘out-of-date research’. However long ago the work was originally commissioned, these data are available to add insight for those eager to explore the dynamics of change. We hope you enjoy browsing through our stories – and please check back from time to time as we regularly add new material here. Our most recent stories are listed first.
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How have British tastes in wine changed?
“Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!” Back in the 1980s, this announcement prompted trend-loving...
What happened to Homebase?
Homebase featured on our High Streets (or more often Retail Parks) for over 40 years, but the name...
Did market research save Jilly Cooper’s career?
The news of the sad death of Jilly Cooper brings to mind the report in the Archive on the Sunday...
How has Guinness kept its brand fresh for over 25 years?
When a brand exists in different formats, its owners can apply portfolio management to maximise...
Should cannabis be legalised?
Over the years, there have been calls for cannabis to be legalised or at least downgraded in its...
Are cricket fans bowled over by new formats? (Updated 2025)
Cricket: Tests and Challenges. The Test Cricket series just ended between England and India is...
Has corporal punishment of children been banished?
By parents: Britain is practically alone in Europe in not having legislation banning corporal...
Was The Good Life ahead of its time?
It’s not often that a TV sitcom changes the habits of millions. But ‘The Good Life’ was unusual in...
Is support for capital punishment growing?
Arguments against the death penalty had been advanced in the 1950s, with a particular boost for...
How typical a wine drinker is Bridget Jones?
In the 2025 film Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy the much-loved lead character is still...
US presidential elections: is the UK more interested in issues than personalities?
Recent US presidential elections have been extensively covered in the British press. What is...
Was the Cinzano ad campaign a win for the entire category?
Sometimes a TV campaign can have a positive effect on an entire category as well as the brand in...
Were budget expectations worse than reality in October 2024?
The leading polling organisations have not so far published any poll covering what the public...
What happened to Margaret Thatcher’s dream of a share-owning public?
The 1980s in Britain was the decade of big privatisations. The Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher,...
Has politics become an inevitable part of sport?
When Emmanuel Macron announced the snap election back in June, IOC President Thomas Bach and Paris...
Is vinyl cool again?
Vinyl is cool again. Long-playing records, or LPs, have become a measure of the British economy’s...
Have we changed in the last 50 years?
There is a massive number of old survey results from the last 50+ years which are included and...
Did market research save the Dulux sheep dog?
In the late fifties ICI was Britain’s only truly global conglomerate and in its Paints Division...
What lessons can we learn from the last 50 years of General Elections?
With a general election likely to take place in 2024 it is worth looking back at lessons to be...
Have British attitudes to the environment changed?
An October 2020 poll by YouGov found that 67% of the British public wanted Britain to be a world...
What were we reading in 1956?
Geoff Wicken acquired a vintage readership survey report for AMSR. It has much to tell us about a...
Do sunshine breaks pile on the stress?
A recent (August 2023) survey for the Office of National Statistics among 2,000 UK adults found...
Are cricket fans bowled over by new formats? 2023 original
An Ashes series between England and Australia is for many cricket fans as good as it gets. But the...
How popular were the royals 50 years ago?
Recent reports have commented on how the monarchy’s popularity has fallen in recent years – to...
Have we witnessed the fall and rise of cinema?
As Warner Bros, one of the world’s leading film and entertainment companies, celebrates its 100th...
Were decimalisation and metrication bad for shoppers?
In the 1970s, price inflation was at least as big a political problem as it is today....
Is the National Lottery retaining its popularity?
Kantar recently published TGI figures reporting that 65% of GB adults have played either Lotto,...
What have we learnt about preventing hypothermia and winter mortality in the old and poor?
As winter approaches, with fuel bills and inflationary pressures endangering the lives of the old...
Has financing the BBC always been contentious?
Alternative funding methods for the BBC have been discussed for years. Back in the 1980s, many...
Platinum Jubilee – have we always loved the royals?
Newspapers regularly report the affection that the majority of the British public have for the...