Public First ran an immersive research study of 11 pubs in Bolton, Greater Manchester over five days in November 2023. The study is an “afterword” to an earlier piece of research – The Pub and The People – carried out in the 1930s and which formed part of the well-known Mass Observation project.

Public First’s study mirrored the observational approach founded by Mass Observation – albeit in a much shorter time frame. With a focus on capturing the interactions and behaviour of pubgoers without a predefined hypothesis, this research sought to understand the dynamics of pub culture in Bolton in a modern context. This study is separated into three broad areas of pub life: live football; leisure activity and entertainment; and the prevalence of money and work in conversation.

You can read the report here