Impact case studies

An estimated 16% of all 14-year-olds in the UK in 2015 suffered from mental ill-health. Research which identified the scale of mental ill-health among the UK’s adolescents, and studied its drivers, has focused national attention on the problem, prompting new government policy and strategies for improving young people’s mental health.

Research outlining the science behind how children learn to read is transforming the way reading is taught in classrooms around the world and helping potentially millions of children improve their life chances through better literacy skills.

Only 16% of autistic adults are in full-time employment in the UK, with lost employment detrimental to quality of life for the majority of autistic adults who would like to work, and costing the UK over £9 billion a year. Research into how to improve employment opportunities has changed public perceptions around autism, increased recruitment of autistic people and changed culture and practices in a number of UK and international organisations.

Research into the impact of penal architecture on prisoners and prison staff has changed thinking on custodial design and led to investment in more progressive and innovative prisons in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

The ESRC Centre for Population Change, through collaboration with the Office for National Statistics, has improved the accuracy of current and future population estimates for the UK, providing policymakers, planners and business with better evidence on which to build policy and plan public services, as well as accurate data for business decisions.

Research into how Uganda’s three million smallholder farmers perceive risk led to the development of a new drought insurance scheme, subsidised by the Ugandan government.

Research into the impact of gender-based violence on victims-survivors and their experience of justice has led to greater protection for survivors of domestic abuse and their children, new understanding of what victim-survivors of gender-based violence seek in terms of justice, and improved advocacy, training and support by specialist services such as Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis.

Research shows reading for pleasure helps children perform significantly better in maths as well as English. This has directly influenced national and international policymakers, literacy organisations and schools to generate, fund and implement reading for pleasure campaigns and initiatives that have benefited the learning of millions of children worldwide.

An Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded collaboration on a new desktop wellness app gave Dr Kasia Banas a valuable outlet to positively impact thousands of workers’ health and wellbeing.

A phone call to the Swedish giant laid the foundations for an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded project which could make manufacturing and construction significantly more climate change-friendly, says Dr Kathi Kaesehage.