UK Household Longitudinal Study

UK Household Longitudinal Study
Name	UK Household Longitudinal Study
Other names	Understanding Society
Country	United Kingdom
Started	2009
Sponsor	Economic and Social Research Council
Frequency	Annual
Sample size	~40,000 households
Website	Understanding Society

Contents

UK Household Longitudinal Study The UK Household Longitudinal Study is a large-scale panel study tracking individuals and households across the United Kingdom, collecting repeated measures on social, economic, health, and demographic change. It serves as a key resource for researchers associated with institutions such as the University of Essex, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Office for National Statistics, the British Academy, and the Wellcome Trust. Its data underpin analysis cited by policy bodies including HM Treasury, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Health and Social Care Information Centre, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Overview

The Study follows a nationally representative sample originally drawn from the General Population Census frame and maintained via follow-up waves similar to long-running panels like the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the British Household Panel Survey, with fieldwork coordinated by teams at the Institute for Social and Economic Research, the University of Manchester, and survey contractors such as NatCen Social Research and Ipsos MORI. Core modules capture information comparable to measures used by the World Health Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the International Labour Organization, enabling cross-national research aligned with work from the European Social Survey and the Luxembourg Income Study.

The Study was established following recommendations from reviews by the Economic and Social Research Council and commissions involving scholars from the London School of Economics, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cambridge, building on the heritage of the British Household Panel Survey and international models such as the German Socio-Economic Panel and the American National Election Studies. Major milestones include the launch of a large main survey in 2009, the incorporation of specialist samples such as the Understanding Society Innovation Panel, and expansions to collect biomarker data in collaboration with the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. Notable methodological innovations were informed by work from researchers affiliated with James Heckman, Angus Deaton, Duncan Watts, and empirical teams at the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

The Study employs a stratified, clustered sample design with boost samples for regions such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales and for specific groups including recent migrants and ethnic minority populations, using interviewer-led computer-assisted personal interviewing techniques originally developed at the Institute for Social and Economic Research. Measures include repeated household rosters, income modules aligned with HM Revenue and Customs definitions, health batteries comparable to tools from the National Health Service and the World Health Organization, and time-use diaries inspired by instruments used by the United Nations. Biological measures (saliva, blood pressure) follow protocols developed with the Medical Research Council and laboratory partners such as the Wellcome Sanger Institute and reference standards from the European Medicines Agency.

Analyses using the Study have produced influential findings on income dynamics cited alongside work by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, on labor market transitions referenced by the Resolution Foundation, on health inequalities debated in journals associated with the British Medical Journal and the Lancet, and on social mobility compared with results from the Social Mobility Commission. Major publications include monographs and articles authored by researchers at the University of Essex, the London School of Economics, the University of Manchester, and the University of Glasgow, and policy reports commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the National Audit Office, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Cross-disciplinary studies have linked the data to genetic research programs at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and educational outcomes assessed in comparison with cohorts like the Millennium Cohort Study and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

Governance is provided through boards and advisory groups drawing members from the Economic and Social Research Council, the UK Data Service, the Office for National Statistics, and academic partners at the University of Essex and the Institute for Social and Economic Research. Funding has come from the Economic and Social Research Council, the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and secondary support from departments such as the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care. Data stewardship follows principles articulated by the UK Research Governance Framework and ethics oversight from institutional review boards at the University of Essex and collaborating universities including King's College London.

Access to anonymised microdata is managed through the UK Data Service with tiered access arrangements for sensitive data, including secure access environments and researcher accreditation modeled on protocols used by the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service and the Administrative Data Research Network. Users must comply with legal frameworks including provisions from the Data Protection Act 2018 and guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office, and adhere to licensing terms commonly required by funders such as the Economic and Social Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. The Study supports data linkage to administrative records held by bodies such as HM Revenue and Customs, the National Health Service and the Department for Work and Pensions under approved governance arrangements.

Category:Longitudinal studies Category:Social research in the United Kingdom