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Differences amongst estimates of the UK problem gambling prevalence rate are partly due to a methodological artefact

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  • Newall, Philip Warren Stirling

    (University of Warwick)

  • Weiss-Cohen, Leonardo
  • Thoma, Volker
  • Ayton, Peter

Abstract

For over 30 years, prevalence surveys have been the principal methodology for measuring the distribution of gambling-related harm in a population (Volberg, 2004), and have informed debates around whether existing harm reduction efforts are working, both in the academic literature (Shaffer et al., 2004) and in the news (Davies, 2022). Despite this longevity, prevalence surveys have been subject to critical perspectives throughout their use (Doughney, 2007; Nadler, 1985; Roberts et al., 2022; Young, 2013). Here we note that current estimated UK prevalence rates reported in 2022 vary from 0.2% (Gambling Commission, 2022) to 2.8% (Gunstone et al., 2022), which is a level of uncertainty. Previous work suggests that the mode of conducting these surveys can cause some differences, with online rates being higher than in-person (Sturgis & Kuha, 2022), and mobile phone rates being higher than landline (Dowling et al., 2016). This is likely responsible for part of the differential, with the 0.2% rate being from a phone survey and the 2.8% rate being from an online survey. Here we show how part of this differential is due to another methodological artefact: the choice of problem gambling screener.

Suggested Citation

  • Newall, Philip Warren Stirling & Weiss-Cohen, Leonardo & Thoma, Volker & Ayton, Peter, 2022. "Differences amongst estimates of the UK problem gambling prevalence rate are partly due to a methodological artefact," OSF Preprints jtsz9, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:osfxxx:jtsz9
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/jtsz9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Naomi Muggleton & Paula Parpart & Philip Newall & David Leake & John Gathergood & Neil Stewart, 2021. "The association between gambling and financial, social and health outcomes in big financial data," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 5(3), pages 319-326, March.
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    1. Ó Ceallaigh, Diarmaid & Timmons, Shane & Robertson, Deirdre & Lunn, Pete, 2023. "Measures of problem gambling, gambling behaviours and perceptions of gambling in Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS169.

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