The Archive
Mass Observation is all about capturing everyday life, thought and feeling in the UK. Mass Observation began as a social research organisation in 1937, so it has hundreds of World War Two diaries and documents. However, we are still actively collecting material and our collection stretches far beyond the years 1939-1945. For those interested in social history MO is an invaluable resource.
What’s in the Mass Observation Archive?
The founders of Mass Observation were interested in capturing what everyday life was like for people and what they thought and felt about the world around them. To do this they gathered hundreds of diaries and asked people to write down their opinions and feelings on a wide variety of topics. This is what Mass Observation still does today. Since 1937, Mass Observation has gathered people’s opinions about everything from politics and conflict to hairdressing and milk.
Mass Observation Then (1937-1950)
The Archive is a result of the work of Mass Observation. This social research organisation was founded in 1937 and aimed to create an ‘anthropology of ourselves’. Their research became the Mass Observation Archive and captured many aspects of everyday life, thought and feeling. To do this, they:
Recruited Investigators: these were people who were given specific tasks and topics to investigate. Much of the material they gathered was sorted into collections and published.
Created a panel of volunteer writers who were asked to keep diaries and respond to Directives (open-ended surveys).
Mass Observation Now (1981-Present)
The Mass Observation Project was launched in 1981, and continues to this day! Like the original version of MO, it recruited a panel of volunteers. These volunteers are sent Directives in the post three times a year. They can respond to the questions however they like and can answer whatever they are interested in. Just as with the original project we are interested in recording everyday life, thought and feeling in the UK.
Lots of people write for years, or even decades! This means that the archive is an amazing source of qualitative, longitudinal data. We’ve asked all kinds of things, from what people think about politics and trade deals, to what people have in their bedroom, to their experiences of long-term health conditions and vaping!
In addition to materials we generate as an organisation we also have further related collections and personal papers. You can find out more about these here.
Did you know that the Mass Observation Archive is a registered charity? You can find out more about supporting our work here.
Wondering where to start your research? We’ve curated pages based on themes that come up throughout the archive. These pages introduce you to our materials and how they could be used.
What can we learn about experiences of conflict from MO?
Mass Observation Archive is known for its unparalleled accounts of everyday life on the Homefront during WWII. From candid diaries, directive responses and Topic Collections spanning 80 themes, all aspects of the impact of war on people’s lives can be felt, experienced and retold. Find out more here.
Donations and Support
Donations
Diaries, Personal Papers and Writings
The Mass Observation Archive’s collection policy can be found here.
We no longer actively seek diaries as they are harder for us to manage. If you would like to contribute to the archive please do consider becoming a Mass Observer.
As our space is limited we are currently only able to accept donations of material if they are closely related to our concerns. So if you find your grandmother’s diary in the attic, please do think of us (and please don’t throw it away!) but contact us to check that we can accept it. We are unable to accept unsolicited material so do get in touch with us first.
Financial Support
Friends Scheme
The Archive depends on money from outside the University of Sussex for many of its special activities. It gains income from royalties from publications, and, since 1991, the Friends of the Archive scheme has provided essential financial support for the Archive’s activities. Without the support of the Friends scheme, the Archive would struggle to collect new material from ‘ordinary’ people documenting everyday life in Britain.
Leave a Legacy
Once you have taken care of your loved ones, please consider remembering us in your will. However large or small your Gift, it is really appreciated and will make an impact to our work here at the Archive.
Mass Observation Charter
We greatly appreciate any gift to the Archive. In receiving a legacy, this is our commitment to you.
We promise:
- Your will is personal to you and we will always respect your privacy
- We will use your gift carefully to ensure it provides impact to the work we do
- At anytime in the future you have the right to change your mind
- We will handle any gift with sensitivity and respect
- If you want to, you can tell us that you have left a gift in your will but we will not ask
Any gift in your will is private and we would never directly ask you to share your intentions. However, so we can plan for our future, it would be helpful if you could tell us whether you are thinking about leaving a gift to us in your will. This also gives us the chance to thank you and invite you to see how your gift could be used to support our work.
Download this document for more information on how to go about this
You will need to see a Solicitor and they will need to know our full details:
Name: Mass Observation Archive
Address: The Mass Observation Archive, University of Sussex, The Keep, Woollards Way, Brighton, BN1 9BP
Charity Number: 270218
Please contact us if you would like to speak to us about this in more detail.
Support the Archive
The Archive depends on money from outside the University of Sussex for many of its special activities. You can donate online quickly and simply here.