The role of social factors in gambling: Evidence from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey

Abstract

Using data from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey, relationships were explored between gambling variables and each of the three key indices of a person's social position, controlling for age and sex. Personal income was found to be positively and linearly related to gambling prevalence, to number of gambling activities engaged in, and to positive attitudes towards gambling; household occupational category was significantly associated with prevalence and frequency of gambling, with problem or moderate risk gambling, and with attitudes towards gambling (managerial and professional, and intermediate, categories obtained lower values than other categories on each of those variables); area deprivation was significantly positively and linearly related to frequency and volume of gambling and to reports of close relatives having gambling problems. The analyses presented here, whilst primarily exploratory, suggest that future surveys should go further towards examining gambling issues as ones of family and community significance. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.