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| Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe | |
|---|---|
| Title | Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe |
| Discipline | Demography; Public health; Gerontology |
| Country | Multiple European countries |
| Established | 2002 |
| Frequency | Biennial (core waves) |
Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe is a longitudinal panel study collecting multidisciplinary data on older adults across numerous European states and partner countries, designed to inform comparative research on ageing, retirement, health, and social policy. The project connects researchers and institutions from diverse settings such as University of Mannheim, Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, and Harvard University to produce harmonized data used in studies referencing institutions like European Commission, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Health Organization, and United Nations.
The study operates as a multi-country longitudinal survey capturing microdata on individuals aged 50+ with repeated measures on health, wealth, labour market transitions, and family networks, enabling comparative analysis across jurisdictions including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Poland, Greece, and Portugal. Its design parallels parallel efforts such as the Health and Retirement Study in the United States, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing in England, and the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing in South Korea, and it contributes to international consortia like the Gateway to Global Aging Data. Major collaborating universities and research centres include University College London, University of Milan, Bocconi University, Trinity College Dublin, and University of Amsterdam.
Initial conceptual work drew on precedent studies including Framingham Heart Study, Whitehall Study, and the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, with formal waves launched in the early 2000s under guidance from scholars affiliated with University of Mannheim, Max Planck Society, and policy stakeholders at the European Commission. Expansion phases incorporated countries accessioned to the European Union and partner projects in Israel and Mexico, while methodological harmonization referenced standards championed by organizations such as the International Network for Studies in Aging and datasets produced by OECD researchers. High-profile academic contributors from institutions like Princeton University, Columbia University, Yale University, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley have published findings drawing comparisons with historical cohort analyses such as those in Franco-British and Nordic demographic literatures.
The survey employs stratified sampling frames, computer-assisted personal interviewing, biomarker collection, cognitive testing, and life-history modules, integrating protocols comparable with the European Social Survey and standards set by the World Bank and Eurostat. Core modules capture trajectories in employment related to entities such as European Central Bank labor market indicators, pension entitlements tied to national systems like those in Germany and France, and health measures benchmarked against clinical cohorts such as Whitehall II. Laboratory assays and physical measures reference procedures used by laboratories at Karolinska Institutet and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, while genetic substudies align with protocols from Wellcome Trust funded projects and biobank efforts comparable to UK Biobank.
Analyses derived from the data have produced influential articles in journals published by Elsevier, Oxford University Press, and Springer Nature, addressing topics such as retirement incentives in the context of reforms like those in Sweden and Netherlands, socioeconomic gradients in health reminiscent of findings from the Black Report era, and cross-national differences in informal care patterns observed also in studies from Italy and Spain. Key monographs and edited volumes involve contributors affiliated with Harvard University Press and Cambridge University Press and cite policy reports from European Commission directorates, thematic briefs by the World Health Organization, and analytical notes by the International Monetary Fund and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Microdata and documentation are distributed to academic and policy researchers through controlled access systems and data archives modeled after repositories such as the UK Data Service, Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, and national statistical agencies including Statistics Netherlands and Istituto Nazionale di Statistica. Users range from teams at University of Barcelona, Sciences Po, University of Zurich, and Free University of Amsterdam to independent analysts at think tanks like Bruegel, CEPS, and Brookings Institution, and research outputs inform reports by European Central Bank and European Investment Bank staff.
Governance structures combine academic consortia, national funding agencies such as Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Agence Nationale de la Recherche, and grants from supranational bodies including the European Commission Framework Programmes and support from philanthropic entities like the Wellcome Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Steering committees include representatives from partner institutions such as University of Manchester, University of Copenhagen, Humboldt University of Berlin, and advisory input from policy bodies including European Commission units, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development analysts, and health agencies like European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Findings have influenced pension reforms, long-term care strategies, and public health interventions across jurisdictions including policy debates in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden, informing white papers by the European Commission, consultation briefs for the International Labour Organization, and evidence syntheses used by national ministries such as Ministry of Health (Italy), Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, and Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (Finland). Academic citations span fields represented by departments at Princeton University, London School of Economics, University of Cambridge, and Yale University, while derivative datasets have enabled cross-cohort comparisons with the Health and Retirement Study and contributed to meta-analyses coordinated by the World Health Organization and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
Category:Longitudinal studies