List of Past Directives
Below are all the Directive questions we have asked in the past! By clicking on the titles below you can download the topics and questions that were asked. If you would like more information about accessing the responses, head here or download a list of question titles.
The 1980s
List of 1980s Directives
1: Summer 1981
Currency, Royal Wedding, Business Premises, Unemployment, Holidays, Food
2: Royal Wedding Special 1981
Diary for the Day
3: Autumn 1981
Currency, Pet Food, Shopping Strategies, Business Premises, Unemployment, Liberal-SDP Alliance, Christmas
4: Spring 1982
House Prices, Unsolicited Mail, Weather in January, Railway Strike, Local Elections, Business Premises, Unemployment, Falklands/Malvinas War
5: Special
The Falkland Islands Crisis 1982: War with Argentina
6: Summer 1982
Public Services, Private Services, The Budget, Gas & Electricity Bills, Royalty, Inflation, Currency, Food, EEC
7: EEC Special
Tenth Anniversary of British Entry Into Europe
8: Autumn 1982
Pocket Money, Business Premises/Cheque Books/Currency
9: Falklands/Malvinas Postscript 1982
Falklands War Aftermath: Reactions To Falklands Parade
10: Winter 1982
Food, Gardening
11: Spring 1983
The General Election, Water workers’ Strike, Coinage, Viewing and Reading
12: Summer 1983
Work
13: Autumn 1983
Housework & maintenance, business premises
14: Winter 1983
Social Well-Being
15: Spring 1984
Social Well-Being
16: Summer 1984
Electronic Banking, Miscellany
17: Autumn 1984
Attitudes To USA
18: Winter 1984
Relatives, Friends & Neighbours
19: Spring 1985
Morality & religion; Posters
20: Autumn 1986
Self portrait (no public access); Major Events; Christmas Day Diary
21: Spring 1987
waste, thrift and consumerism; A.I.D.S. campaign
22: May Special 1987
General Election
23: Summer 1987
Holidays; Day diary: August Bank Holiday 1987
24: Autumn/Winter 1987
The car; The hurricane and floods
25: Spring 1988
Clothing
27: Autumn 1988
Regular Pastimes; TV Day-Diaries
28: Spring 1989
Disasters; Food News
29: Summer 1989
Rules of Conduct; Day Diary for June 15th, European Election Day
30: Autumn/Winter 1989
Relaxants and Stimulants; The ‘Backing Britain’ Campaign
The 1990s
List of 1990s Directives
31: Spring 1990
Social Divisions; Retrospective on The Eighties
32: Summer 1990
Clothes relationships; Your Views on MO
33: Autumn/Winter 1990
Celebrations; Gulf Crisis; Organisations
34: Spring 1991
Education; The Uses of Reading & Writing & Literacy Diaries; Taking Risks
35: Autumn 1991
Women & Men; Technology
36: Spring 1992
Personal Hygiene; The Pace Of Life; One Day Diary; 1992 General Election
37: Summer 1992
Nature & the Environment
38: Winter 1992
Growing Older; Looking Back at 1992; Last Night’s Dreams
39: Spring 1993
Growing Up; Reading; Community/ Foreigners
40: Summer 1993
Pleasure; Security & Crime; Current Issues
41: Autumn/Winter 1993
Managing money; Birth; The title “Mass Observation”
42: Spring 1994
Death & Bereavement; Serial Killers; Autobiography & Diaries
43: Autumn/Winter 1994
Sport; Drugs; Current Events (Rail Strike, Ireland, Royalty, Criminal Justice Bill)
44: Spring 1995
Day Diary (Meals); the Countryside; Television Soap Operas
45: Summer 1995
Shopping in Britain
46: Autumn/Winter 1995
Images of Where You Live: Cities, Towns, Villages; Mothers & Literacy; Subject of own choice
47: Spring 1996
The Lottery; Menstruation; Subject of own Choice Version 2 of the Directive
48: Summer 1996
Beef, BSE & the “mad cow” debate; the supernatural
49: Autumn/Winter 1996
Using the Telephone; Unpaid Work; The Next General Election
50: Spring 1997
You & the NHS; The Next General Election
51: Summer 1997
Doing a Job; Being Overweight
52: Summer 1997 (Special)
The Death of Diana
53: Autumn 1997
Music; Dancing; the Future
54: Spring 1998
The Garden and Gardening; Having An Affair
55: Autumn 1998
Present Giving and Receiving; Staying Well And Everyday Life
56: Spring 1999
Going to the Cinema; Current Issues; Documenting the Millennium
57: Summer 1999
The Public Library; Body Piercing & Tattooing; Current Event
58: Autumn 1999
Sleeping And Dreaming; Millennium Diary
The 2000s
List of 2000s Directives
59: Spring 2000
Travelling; Collecting Things
60: Summer 2000
Coming to Britain; Queen Mother at 100; Designing your own Directive
61: Autumn 2000
The Family; Gays & Family; Current events
62: Spring 2001
Hair & hairdressing; The next General Election; Marks & Spencer
63: Summer 2001
Courting & dating; Reality TV and radio; the General Election
64: Special 2001
11 September 2001: diary of reactions
65: Autumn 2001
Media & the public interest; the impact of war after 11 September
66: Spring 2002
Having a laugh; The Royal Family in 2002
67: Summer 2002
Birthdays; Issues in the news
68: Autumn 2002
Mobile phones; Owning pets; The world situation at the end of 2002
69: Spring 2003
Images of the 1950s and 60s; Saturday diaries; the War in Iraq
70: Autumn 2003
Public and private spaces/places; Childhood reading: comics and magazines; Diary for New Year’s Eve 2003
71: Spring 2004
Using numbers; You and the BBC; Going to university
72: Summer 2004
Letters; Email
73: Autumn 2004
Being part of research; Your most recent dream
74: Spring 2005
The Asian Tsunami; Charles and Camilla; The best thing that happened to you in 2004
75: Summer 2005
The Universe and Outer Space; Wildlife Documentaries; Current Issues and Events
PostScript to the Summer 2005 Directive
Bombs in London
76: Autumn 2005
Sex; Public Library Buildings; Hurricanes in the USA
77: Spring 2006
Genes, Genetics & Cloning; Public Mourning; One day diary
78: Summer 2006
History Matters; Core British Values; The Football World Cup
79: Autumn 2006
Your Home; Quoting and Quotations; Age
80: Spring 2007
The New Smoking Ban and Pubs; Violence in the Home
81: Summer 2007
Shopping and Making a Difference; You and Gardens
82: Spring 2008
You & the NHS in 2008; Your life line
83: Summer 2008
Doing Family History Research; War: experiences and reflections; The Olympics
84: Winter 2008
The World Financial Crisis; Global Poverty and Health; The Ups and Downs of Friendship
85: Spring 2009
The Second World War; Using the Internet; Issues in the news
86: Summer 2009
Animals and humans; Heaven and hell; Swine flu or H1N1
87: Winter 2009
Midlife transitions; Books and you; Predicting the Future
The 2010s
List of 2010s Directives
88: Spring 2010
A working day; Personal finances; The General Election 2010
89: Summer 2010
Families and holidays; Belonging
90: Autumn 2010
Childhood and illness; Going to funerals; Special questionnaire
91: Spring 2011
Donor Conception; Gambling; The Royal Wedding
92: Summer 2011
Climate change; Ageing and care; The press in 2011
93: Winter 2011
Crime & Investigation; Civil disobedience; You and the 1980s
94: Spring 2012
Big and Society; Photos, music and memory; Dream Diary
95: Summer 2012
School, teachers and pupils; Siblings; The Diamond Jubilee 2nd –5th June 2012
96: Autumn 2012
Photography & you; Cosmetic Surgery; The London Olympic & Paralympic Games
97: Spring 2013
Human rights, immigration & the legal system; Spiritualism; The High Street
98: Winter 2013
Serial Killers; The Countryside; What makes you happy?
99: Spring 2014
Politics and Politicians; Scottish Referendum 2014; Eurovision
100: Summer 2014
Global poverty & charities; Corporal Punishment; Current Affairs in Summer 2014
101: Autumn 2014
The First World War; Working families
102: Spring 2015
Dementia; The General Election 2015
103: Summer 2015
You online; Dear 16 year old me
104: Autumn 2015
Fraud and scams; Bonfire Night; The Refugee Crisis
105: Spring 2016
Social Mobility; Higher Education; The EU Referendum
106: Summer 2016
Using animals for research; Being ‘thrifty’
107: Winter 2016
Homelessness; Boxing Day 2016
Postscript to the Winter 2016 Directive:
US Presidential Election
108: Spring 2017
Your bedroom; World events
109: Summer 2017
EU Referendum; Reading Aloud
110: Autumn 2017
One-day Diary: organising and experiencing time; Prison
111: Spring 2018
Charity and the Welfare State; Disability; The Royal Wedding Saturday 19th May 2018
112: Summer 2018
Fire and Rescue Services; You and the NHS; Purses and Wallets
113: Autumn 2018
Protest; Future of consumption; Diary day: Sunday 11th November 2018
114: Spring 2019
You & Plastics; Loneliness and belonging; 29th March 2019: Brexit day diary
115: Summer 2019
Personal Identity; Sex Education; Milk usage
116: Winter 2019
Mantelpieces and treasured objects; Unlocking Sound; Election Day (12th December 2019)
The 2020s
List of 2020s Directives
117: Special Directive
Coronavirus
118: Spring 2020
Gender; Coronavirus update
119: Summer 2020
Covid-19 and Time; Black Lives Matter
120: Autumn 2020
Nothing and the ‘road not taken’; Everyday Health and Wellbeing
121: Spring 2021
Household Recycling; Why I write; The COVID-19 Vaccine
122: Summer 2021
Covid-19 Testing Stories; A favourite recipe and a memorable meal
123: Autumn 2021
Kindness; UK Trade Deals; UK Events
124: Spring 2022
Smell; Drones Second World War;The Russian invasion of Ukraine
125: Summer 2022
Grudging Acts; Genetics and health in our everyday lives; The Royal Family and update (sent 12/09/2022)
126: Autumn 2022
Forgiveness; Ageism; Current events in 2022
127: Spring 2023
Cost of living and support; Everyday ritual, materials and magic; Coronation
128: Summer 2023
Digital technologies in the home; Clothes and personal appearance;
129: Autumn 2023
Everyday living with multiple long-term health conditions; seasons; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
130: Spring 2024
Retirement; Mystery
130: Summer 2024
Everyday oral health; the General Election; Singing
132: Autumn 2024
Cost of Living Crisis Update; Vapes and Vaping; The US Election
133: Spring 2025
Covid-19 Five years on; VE Day; Good News
134: Summer 2025
Hands; Time Pieces; Kitchens