Dr Sarah Butt

Research Fellow, Centre for Comparative Social Surveys

Centre for Comparative Social Surveys

Department of Sociology

E: sarah.butt.1@city.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)20 7040 4162

Overview and research interests

Dr Sarah Butt joined City's Centre for Comparative Social Surveys (CCSS) in June 2012 as part of the Core Scientific Team for the European Social Survey. Her role has a particular focus on the dissemination of survey findings and other outreach activities.

Prior to joining CCSS she worked as a social researcher at the Department for Education where she oversaw several large-scale policy evaluations including an evaluation of the National Citizen Service programme. Between 2006 and 2010 she worked at NatCen Social Research where, among other roles, she was a co-director of the British Social Attitudes survey.

She has an MSc in Politics Research and a DPhil in Politics from Nuffield College, Oxford.  Her doctoral thesis used data from the British Election Study to explore the different ways in which voters think about incumbent and opposition parties when making electoral choices. 

Dr Butt has an ongoing interest in exploring the drivers of various forms of political and social engagement including voting in elections and formal volunteering.

Selected publications

• Alison Park, John Curtice, Katarina Thomson, Miranda Phillips, Elizabeth Clery and Sarah Butt eds. (2010) British Social Attitudes: the 26th Report, London, Sage
• Sarah Butt and John Curtice (2010) 'Duty in decline? Trends in attitudes to voting' in British Social Attitudes: the 26th Report, London, Sage
• Sarah Butt and Andrew Shaw (2009) 'Pay more, fly less? Changing attitudes to air travel' in British Social Attitudes: The 25th Report, London, Sage
• Natalie Low, Sarah Butt, Angela Ellis Paine and Justin Davis Smith (2007) Helping Out: a national survey of volunteering and charitable giving, London, Cabinet Office
• Sarah Butt (2006) 'How voters evaluate economic competence: a comparison of parties in and out of power', Political Studies,  54:743-766
• Geoffrey Evans and Sarah Butt (2005) 'Leaders or followers? Parties and Public Opinion on the European Union' in British Social Attitudes: Two Terms of New Labour, the Public's Reaction; The 22nd Report, London, Sage
• Sarah Butt (2004) 'Political knowledge and routes to party choice in the British general election of 2001', British Elections and Parties Review, 14:3-17