The ARK Research Centre has undertaken a wide range of research, including:

Age Concern Help the Aged NI: The Truth about poverty in Northern Ireland (2009)
ARK, in conjunction with Eileen Evason, carried out an analysis of the Family Resources Survey. The research explored the current methodology to measure poverty among older people in Northern Ireland, and specifically looked at the impact of disability benefits being included in the income measurement without an appropriate adjustment at the equivalisation stage. A copy of the report can be found on the Age Concern Help the Aged NI website.

Atlantic Philanthropies: Older People in Northern Ireland (2004-5)
The project pulled together data from a range of published sources, as well as undertaking secondary analysis of Northern Irish datasets. From this, a series of reports was produced. Each report focuses on a different theme (including poverty, health and lifestyle) and provides policy context as well as quantitative results. For more information, click here.

Central Management Support Unit for Education and Library Boards: Review of the School Meals Service (2003)
Within this project, views were sought on the catering services across a random sample of schools across Northern Ireland. ARK designed questionnaires for primary and post-primary school pupils, as well as for parents and teachers. Once the data was collected, ARK analysed the data and prepared a report.

Central Management Support Unit for Education and Library Boards: Review of the Youth Service (2004)
This review of the Youth Service involved designing and implementing a sampling frame, sampling methodology and questionnaire for the following groups: young people who attended youth clubs, young people using residential centres, parents of young people using youth services, young people not using youth services. ARK analysed the data and prepared a report.

Contact Youth/Opportunity Youth: Evaluation of 24/7 (2007)
In 2007, Dirk Schubotz undertook an evaluation of the pilot phase of 24/7 Suicide and Self-harm Prevention project, which was run by Contact Youth and Opportunity Youth. The project involved conducting interviews with staff of both organizations involved in the project, the attendance of team meetings and the analysis of the statistics and case notes collected by the two organisations.

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
ARK has completed two reports based on secondary analysis of major health-related surveys in Northern Ireland.

• Secondary Analysis of 1997 and 2001 Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Surveys: this report includes substantial analysis of the 2001 Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey, as well as comparisons between the 1997 and 2001 data.
• Drug and Alcohol Misuse among Young People in Northern Ireland: this report is based on data from the 2000 Young Person's Behaviour and Attitude Survey, in which over 6,000 young people aged 11 to 16 took part.

Food Standards Agency: Northern Ireland University Student Food Behaviour and Attitude Survey (2005-6)
In November 2005, ARK was commissioned to undertake a food attitudes and behaviour survey among university students in Northern Ireland. All students attending Queen's University and the University of Ulster received an email asking them to take part in an online survey hosted on the ARK server. For more information and link to the report, click here.

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland: Baseline Information for Equality Groups Defined by Section 75 (2002)
An analysis of the Northern Ireland Life and Times Surveys was carried out in order to provude tables showing the distribution of different equality groups among respondents, as well as the demographic and socio-economic position of respondents.

Highway to Health: Men's Health (2006)
ARK provided technical and statistical advice to this survey of the health of men living in South Belfast.

Institute of European Studies, Queen's University Belfast (2002)
ARK worked with the Institute of European Studies to develop a questionnaire and analyses data for a survey of the state of European Studies within UK universities.

Mornington Community Project: Lower Ormeau Training and Employment Survey (2005)
In early 2005, Mornington Community Project, in collaboration with ARK, undertook an employment and training survey of the Lower Ormeau Road area. A previous survey undertaken in 1992 had highlighted high levels of unemployment and the need for training opportunities. To view the report in PDF format, click here (713kb).

North and West Belfast Health Action Zone: How is it for you? (2006)
This project involved supporting the North and West Belfast Health Action Zone in producing a report on the sexual health and wellbeing of young people in North and West Belfast. The report can be accessed here (662 kb).

Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Library Service: Attitudes to the Assembly and devolved government (2001)
This report comprised of data focusing on public attitudes to the Assembly and devolved government. The tables mainly drew on information from the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey.

Old Library Trust: Survey of prescribed medication (2006)
ARK analysed data and produced a report on a survey of prescribed medication which was undertaken among residents of Creggan in Derry/Londonderry.

Queen's University Belfast: Student Part-time Employment Survey (2003)
ARK worked with Queen's University in a survey of student employment patterns during term time. ARK designed an online questionnaire which was posted on the Queen's website during the Autumn Semester, 2002. ARK then analysed the results and prepared a report.

Queen's University Belfast: Students' Union Student Employee Satisfaction Survey (2004)
In Autumn 2003, Queen's University wished to explore the experiences of, and level of satisfaction with, working in the Students' Union (SU) for part-time student employees. ARK designed a questionnaire which was circulated among all part-time student employees within the Students' Union. The results were then analysed by ARK and a report was written.

Rainbow Project/Gay Men's Health Project: Real Lives (2005)
This report presents results from the 2003 and 2004 All Ireland Gay Men's Sex Surveys. The aims of these surveys are to collect and make available a current snapshot of sexual behaviour related to HIV transmission and HIV prevention needs among gay and bisexual men in Ireland, both to inform programme planning and to act as a baseline for future studies. To view the report in PDF format, click here (1.44 mb).

Rural Community Network: Ageing and Rural Poverty (2004)
ARK provided research support to this study on ageing and rural poverty. The research was undertaken in order to help highlight and understand the key issues affecting rural older people living in poverty to ascertain the level and type of contact between rural voluntary and community groups and older people living in rural communities.

Rural Development Council: Typology of Rural Areas (2002)
This project was a baseline exercise drawing together a range of secondary data and mapping them using Geographic Information Systems. The objectives of this work were to provide information to assist the targeting of programme resources; to help 'rural proofing' of policies and programmes; to assist in monitoring and evaluation; to build a better picture of overall patterns and trends in social and economic activity and the relationship between rural and urban.

Save the Children: Taking a Closer Look: Child poverty and disability (2009)
ARK, in conjunction with Marina Monteith, carried out an analysis of the Family Resources Survey. The research explored the current methodology to measure poverty among children in Northern Ireland, and specifically looked at the impact of disability benefits being included in the income measurement without an appropriate adjustment at the equivalisation stage. A copy of the briefing report can be found on the Save the Children website.

Save the Children: Persistent Child Poverty in Northern Ireland (2006-2008)
Research to date in Northern Ireland has focused on measuring child poverty using point in time methods and distinctions have not been made in terms of length of time in poverty. The introduction of the Northern Ireland Household Panel (NIHPS) survey in 2001 enabled researchers to study, for the first time, the duration and dynamic nature of child poverty. This project measured the extent and nature of persistent child poverty in Northern Ireland using the first four waves of the (NIHPS). To view the Research Update please click here (616 kb).

Southern Area Health Promotion Department: Evaluation of Physical Activity Toolkit (2003)
This project involved the analysis of evaluations of a Physical Activity Toolkit training received by primary health care workers in the Southern Health and Social Services Borad area. Specifically, the work involved the quantitative analysis of pre-training and post-training questionnaires.