Updating and open dissemination of the “Social Barometer of Spain”

The “Social Barometer of Spain” is a continuous assessment of the social situation in Spain, elaborated by the team Colectivo Ioé, specialized in social research. It is an integrated system that offers an overview of the most important issues related to the welfare and quality of life (housing, unemployment, gender, citizenship, environment, etc). With the help of 189 social indicators from official sources and 39 synthetic indices produced by the authors themselves in a transparent and open interaction with the user is shown the evolution of the social situation in Spain since the year 1994.

Since its inception, the “Social Barometer of Spain” intends to socialize and democratize, in a rigorous but simple form, the access to public information to assess the evolution of the social situation. The project collects, synthesizes and disseminates statistical information, which is often restricted only to "experts" and systematizes the results in a transparent manner. This is done in order to enhance training and in addition to it to increase the possibilities of analysis and argument by any interested person or group.

For example, the Barometer provides all information (and access to their respective sources) to demonstrate, that between 1994 and 2009 increased considerably more the income of the richest (holders of financial assets and real estate: more than 100%) in comparison of the majority of the population (pensioners, workers and unemployed: between 3% and 25%).

All information is available through the website http://www.barometrosocial.es/ for free (licensed by Creative Commons). Furthermore, can be downloaded spreadsheets, data sets including the methods of calculating the indexes and an extensive collection of graphics.

WHAT WE ARE SEARCHING FOR

From the beginning the Social Barometer project was supported by the CIP-Ecosocial, the entity that financed the publication of the book, examining the period 1994-2006, annual updates of the database and the dissemination of annual summary reports. Unfortunately, the current crisis has made it impossible to continue to have this financial support.

Hence we are looking for the cooperation of all interested in maintaining the Social Barometer Tool furthermore. The resources enable:

• Collect information to update the database (latest version is the year 2009).
  
• Update of the synthetic indices and the corresponding graphs.
  
• Develop a summary report, brief and easy to read, to facilitate the access to data and provide an overview of the changes during the year under review.
  
• Post relevant information on the web, always with free access, while maintaining the creative commons license.
  
• Advise groups, organizations and individuals interested in the use of the tools and methodologies used by the Social Barometer, with the aim that the information is available to an increasing, broad audience. The philosophy of the Social Barometer, with which it was born, and intends to survive, is to facilitate access to public information, which is often restricted only to "experts", systematize their results in a transparent way, and enhance training and "empowerment" of their user. Furthermore the aim includes increasing the possibilities of analysis and arguments which respond to the interests and priorities of different social groups, rather than enhance the abstruse language and usually widespread manner "from above".

WHO WE ARE

Colectivo Ioé is a cooperative specialized in social research. Since the 1980s it has maintained a constant observation and research on some of the major social transformations in Spain, including the labor market, immigration, welfare systems and protection, regional social structures, gender inequalities and education and multiculturalism. All its results and publications are freely available on the homepage www.colectivoioe.org.