Exercise 3 solution

This answer uses the idea of the sociological imagination (Mills, 1959; defined on Wikipedia as "the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society"). The personal trouble versus public issue wording is from general knowledge, not from the article (check).

Personal trouble (sample paragraph): One worker, say Sam, loses the job he has had for twelve years. He worries about the mortgage, feels ashamed in front of his family and wonders what he did wrong. For Sam this is about his own skills, savings and choices.

Public issue (sample paragraph): 800 people in one town lose their jobs at the same time. The cause is the closure of a single employer, not 800 separate failures. The pattern affects shops, schools and the local council's income, and it will shape the town for years. This is a matter of the local economy and the structure of work.

Extra evidence a sociologist would want:
- how the unemployment rate in the town compares with nearby towns and the country as a whole (quantitative);
- how many of the 800 find new work, how quickly, and where (quantitative);
- how workers and families describe the experience (qualitative interviews);
- whether similar closures elsewhere led to similar outcomes.

The aim is to separate what is specific to Sam from what is shared by everyone in his position.