Professor Matt Bennett

Professor Matt Bennett

Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology
Professor of Social Policy

Contact details

Email
m.r.bennett@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@DrMattBennett
View my research portal
Address
School of Social Policy
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Matt is a Professor of Social Policy based in the School of Social Policy. He is interested in understanding inequalities in the areas of social care, social diversity and intergroup relations,  and prosocial behaviour. His expertise is in linking and analysing large-scale surveys and administrative datasets using advanced statistical methods to answer applied substantive and policy and practice questions.

Qualifications

DPhil in Sociology, Nuffield College, University of Oxford, 2013 

MSc in Sociology, Nuffield College, University of Oxford, 2009 

BA Psychology and Sociology (Hons), University of Washington, 2008

Biography

Matt joined the School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham in 2023 as a Professor of Social Policy.

Matt’s research explores intersectional inequalities in care and caring over time and place, using large scale quantitative data and advanced statistical methods. His work has explored a range of topics including the socioeconomic, health and relationship consequences of being an unpaid carer; understanding why care homes close; and social care cost projections. He is also interested in improving the analytical and data infrastructure in care research to improve the evidence base and to support decision making. 

His research on social diversity explores the impact of the changing composition of local areas on health and wellbeing outcomes, and the role of intergroup contact in mediating these relationships. 

His research on prosocial behaviour explores why people volunteer, donate money and are altruistic. This work explores the role of place in these behaviours.  

From 2021-2023 he was a Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield where he helped establish the ESRC Centre for Care as Deputy Director - he continues to be part of the Management and Leadership Group and leads two research groups on 1) Inequalities in Care, and 2) Care Data Infrastructure. He also led the University of Sheffield’s successful application to join the NIHR School for Social Care Research.

Matt is passionate about applied and impactful social research that benefits policy and practice, and therefore works closely with partners outside of the academic sector. He has a track record of codesigning research and building research capacity to support their priorities and needs. These partnerships include the Office for National Statistics, Carers UK, Sheffield Young Carers, Hampshire County Council, Social Care Wales and the Health Foundation. These partnerships have increased the quantitative capacity in care research, typically with Early Career Researchers at the heart.

From 2013-2021 Matt worked in the Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology at the University of Birmingham as an Assistant Professor before being promoted to Associate Professor. During that time, he was the department’s Director of Postgraduate Taught Programmes, the Midlands Graduate School DTP lead for Social Policy and Social Work, the Director of Postgraduate Research Methods Training for the College of Social Sciences, and the College of Social Sciences lead for the Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

Matt holds an associate position in the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, where he is also the Co-Director of the month-long Social Impact Fellowship (Matt was himself awarded a Social Impact Fellowship in 2013).

Matt holds a BA(Hons) degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Washington. He completed both his MSc and DPhil in Sociology at Nuffield College, University of Oxford.

Teaching

Matt has taught a range of research methods and social statistics modules across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. He is a research-led teacher and is passionate about making quantitative methods accessible and engaging, and embedding them into substantive research topics, typically focusing on his own work. He has won several university awards for outstanding teaching.

He has written and led a variety of methodological modules, including:

  • Social research methods
  • Fundamentals in quantitative research methods
  • Quantitative data analysis
  • Regression models for categorical and limited dependent variables 
  • Multilevel modeling
  • Structural equation modeling
  • Survival analysis
  • Measurement
  • Data analysis for social impact

Postgraduate supervision

Matt welcomes enquiries from potential PhD students wishing to study topics related to his research interests.

He is particularly interested in working with students who would like to use quantitative methodologies to explore topics in social care, social diversity and intergroup relations, and prosocial behaviour.

Current PhD students

Unaysah Mogra, (2019-present). ‘Does school and neighbourhood diversity impact intergroup relations and social cohesion among youths?’ ESRC 1+3 Studentship 

Kalim Ahmed, (2020-present)  ‘Exploring the effects of caring on mental and physical Health using population database linkages’. ESRC 1+3 Collaborative Award PhD studentship. Collaborative partner: Office for National Statistics. 

Abigail Savory (2021-present). ‘The impact of caring on physical disease and mental health linking census and GP records’. ESRC 1+3 Collaborative Award PhD studentship. Collaborative partner: Office for National Statistics. 

Tong Ren (2021-present). ‘The feasibility and financial sustainability of the long-term care insurance (LTCI) system under the public-private cooperation mechanism in China’. 

Harriet Ann Patrick (2021-present). ‘The financial costs of unpaid care in geographical context’. CDT-Data Analytics and Society 1+3 PhD studentship. Collaborative partner: Office for National Statistics 

Eleanor Bale (2021-present). ‘Social frontiers in residential segregation: A data analytics approach’. CDT-Data Analytics and Society 1+3 PhD studentship. Collaborative partner: Delft University of Technology. 

Christie Butcher (2021-present). ‘The characteristics and experiences of carers in the UK: trends and variations 2001-2021’. CDT-Data Analytics and Society 1+3 PhD studentship. Collaborative partner: Carers UK. 

Daniel Chaib (2022-present). Young Carers: Care experiences, service use and outcomes. CDT-Data Analytics and Society 1+3 PhD studentship. Collaborative partner: Sheffield Young Carers. 

Bethany Arnold (2022-present). Exploring the impact of digital technologies on health and wellbeing outcomes. CDT-Data Analytics and Society 1+3 PhD studentship. Collaborative partner: Hampshire County Council. 

Sarah Liley (2023-present). Understanding Inequalities & Interconnections in Health and Social Care. CDT-Data Analytics and Society 1+3 PhD studentship. Collaborative partner: The Health Foundation. 

Amy Davies (2023-present). The Social Care Workforce in Wales. CDT-Data Analytics and Society 1+3 PhD studentship. Collaborative partner: Social Care Wales.

Research

Research interests

Matt’s research interests include:

  • Inequalities
  • Social care
  • Unpaid care
  • Social diversity
  • Intergroup relations
  • Social cohesion
  • Prosocial behaviour
  • Analytical and data infrastructure in care research
  • Quantitative methods
  • Computational social science
  • Research-led teaching 

Current projects 

The Birmingham, RAND and Cambridge Evaluation (BRACE) Rapid Evaluation Centre. 2023-2028. NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme (HSDR). £3M

Storying Life Courses for Intersectional Inclusion: Ethnicity and Wellbeing Across Time and Place. 2022-2025. ESRC Inclusive Ageing. £1.35M 

ESRC Centre for Care, 2021-2026, ESRC Centres Competition. £10M 

Child welfare service interventions and educational and criminal justice outcomes of vulnerable children, 2021-2023. ADR UK linked Ministry of Justice and Department for Education data Research Fellowship. £128,610. 

'Achieving closure' - improving outcomes when care homes close, 2021 – 2024. NIHR Programme Grant, £1.2M. 

Previous projects 

Carers Count. UKRI Engaging the Public with Census 2021. £10,000. 

Exploring the relationship between ethnic heterogeneity, intergroup relations and stress”, 2018-2020.  ESRC Secondary Data Analysis Initiative. £199,746.

Sustainable Care: connecting people and systems”. ESRC Large Grant. 2017-2021. £2.5M. 

The Impact of Ethnic Diversity on Wellbeing and Health. 2017-2019. Nuffield Foundation Open Door, £220,224.

Publications

Zhang, Y. and Bennett, M. R. (2023). Insights into Informal Caregivers' Wellbeing: A Longitudinal Analysis of Care Intensity, Care Location, and Care Relationship. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B; Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. ONLINE FIRST. 

Zhang, J., Petrillo, M. and Bennett, M.R. (2023). Valuing Carers 2021: Northern Ireland. Belfast: Carers Northern Ireland. 

Petrillo, M. and Bennett, M.R. (2023). Valuing Carers 2021: England and Wales. London: Carers UK. 

Petrillo, M., Bennett, M.R., and Pryce, G. (2022). Cycles of caring: transitions in and out of unpaid care. London: Carers UK. 

Zhang, Y., Bennett, M.R., and Yeandle, S. (2022) ‘Local government spending on adult social care and carers’ subjective wellbeing in England.’ BMJ Open. 11:e049652. 

Heist, H. D., Lawrence, S. M., Cnaan, A. R., Bennett, M. R. (2021) The Philanthropic Poor: Generosity in Rural India. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 51(6), 1349–1376. 

Li. D., Ramos, M., Bennett, M R., Massey, D., and Hewstone, M. (2021). ‘How does Increasing Immigration Affect Ethnic Minority Groups?’ The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 697(1):49-65. 

Bennett, M.R., Parameshwaran M., Schmid, K., Ramos, M. and Hewstone, M. (2021). ‘Exploring the Relationship Between Religious Neighborhood Diversity, Religious and National Identity, and Trust in England’. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 25(5), 1248–1268. 

Li, D., Ramos, M., Bennett, M R., Massey, D. and Hewstone, M. (2021). ‘Does ethnic diversity affect well-being and allostatic load among people across neighbourhoods in England?’ Health & Place, 68: 102518 

Ramos, M., Bennett, M R., Massey, D., and Hewstone, M. (2021). Adapting to changes in social diversity. Nuffield Foundation. 

Glasby, J., Zhang, Y., Bennett, M. R. and Hall, P. (2020).  ‘A Lost Decade? A Renewed Case for Adult Social care reform in England’. Journal of Social Policy, 50(2):406–37. 

Bennett M.R, Zhang Y., and Yeandle S. (2020). ‘Caring & COVID-19: Financial wellbeing’. Sustainable Care: Care Matters series 2020/03, CIRCLE, University of Sheffield. 

Bennett M.R, Zhang Y., and Yeandle S. (2020). ‘Caring & COVID-19: Loneliness and use of services’. Sustainable Care: Care Matters series 2020/02, CIRCLE, University of Sheffield. 

Bennett M.R, Zhang Y., and Yeandle S. (2020). ‘Caring & COVID-19: Hunger and mental health’. Sustainable Care: Care Matters series 2020/01, CIRCLE, University of Sheffield. 

Clasby, B., Bennett, M.R., Hughes, N., Hodges, E., Meadham, H.,  Hinder, D., Williams, W. H., Mewse, A. (2019). ‘The Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury from the Classroom to the Courtroom: understanding pathways through structural equation modelling’. Disability and Rehabilitation. 42(23): 1-10. 

Ramos, M., Bennett, M R., Massey, D., and Hewstone, M. (2019). ‘Humans Adapt to Social Diversity Over Time’. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 116 (25) 12244-12249. 

Mohan, J., and Bennett, M.R. (2019) ‘Community-level Impacts of the Third Sector: Does the local distribution of voluntary organisations influence the likelihood of volunteering?’ Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 51(4): 950-979. 

Bennett, M. R., Zhang, Y., and Yeandle, S. (2019) ‘Will I Care: The likelihood of being a carer in adult life’. London: Carers UK. 

Bennett, M. R., and Einolf. C. (2017). ‘Religion, Altruism, and Helping Strangers: A multilevel analysis of 123 countries’. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 56(2):323–341. 

Kamerāde, D., and Bennett M. R. (2017). ‘Rewarding Work: Volunteering during unemployment, benefits, well-being and mental health’. Work, Employment and Society. 32(1): 38-56.

View all publications in research portal