British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007 secondary analysis: social factors and gambling
This secondary analysis was commissioned by the Gambling
Commission and undertaken by Professor Jim Orford from University
of Birmingham, Professor Mark Griffiths from Nottingham Trent
University and NatCen. This analysis used data from the
British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007 to study the
relationship between gambling and socio-economic variables.
The full report can be found at:
The role of social factors in gambling: evidence from BGPS 2007 -
March 2009
Key Findings
These exploratory analyses contribute to the limited evidence on
the relationship between social factors and variations in gambling
and problem gambling in the population. The authors studied
associations between gambling and the following socio-economic
variables: personal income, household occupational category and
deprivation level of area of residence.
The analyses found that income was significantly associated with
gambling prevalence, gambling on four or more activities in the
past year and attitudes towards gambling as those with higher
incomes had more positive attitudes towards gambling.
Those in managerial and professional occupations were least
engaged in gambling and least at risk of problem gambling.
Area deprivation was significantly associated with
frequency and volume of gambling, with those living in the most
deprived areas gambling more often than those in less deprived
areas.
Parental regular gambling and parental and close relative
problem gambling were each more prevalent amongst respondents from
the more deprived areas.
As the authors emphasised, the analyses were exploratory and
leave open many questions about the interpretation of the
results. It is also in the nature of studies of this type
that they cannot provide any conclusive evidence on causation.
Page last reviewed: April 2011