New national data collection on workplace violence: Dr Vanessa Gash leads winning entry to UKHLS Innovation Panel Competition 2025

We are thrilled to announce that Dr Vanessa Gash has been selected as a winner of the prestigious UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) Innovation Panel Competition 2025.

Dr Gash’s winning proposal introduces a new battery of indicators on workplace violence, a critical and timely topic in labour market research. These indicators will be fielded to a nationally representative sample as part of the UKHLS Innovation Panel, a unique test-bed for pioneering survey methods and content within the broader Understanding Society study.

This project not only generates valuable new data on workplace violence across the UK, but will also advance methodological innovation in how such sensitive topics are measured. Once collected, the data will be made publicly available, offering researchers across disciplines the opportunity to explore and build upon this work.

In addition to the data release, Dr Gash and her co-applicants, including Dr Niels Blom, will develop a series of working papers to disseminate findings and insights from the project. These papers will contribute to academic debates and inform policy discussions around workplace safety and wellbeing.

The Innovation Panel Competition is a highly competitive initiative that supports cutting-edge research ideas with real-world impact. We are proud to see Dr Gash’s work recognised and supported by Understanding Society.

For more details about the Innovation Panel and the competition, visit the Understanding Society website.