Duke-Williams, O

Sizer, A

English

UCL Discovery

International Journal of Population Data Science (2019) 4:3:044International Journal ofPopulation Data ScienceJournal Website: www.ijpds.orgThe Office for National Statistics Longitudinal StudySizer, A1* and Duke-Williams, O21Centre for Longitudinal Study Information and User Support (CeLSIUS), UCL2Department for Information Studies, UCLBackground and RationaleThe ONS Longitudinal Study (‘the LS’) covers England andWales and includes individual data from the 1971 – 2011 de-cennial censuses and linked information on births, deaths andcancer registrations. It is representative of the population ofEngland and Wales.AimThis presentation describes the LS and the linked adminis-trative data, and showcases recent/ prominent examples ofresearch.Methods and ApproachThe LS is built around samples drawn from decennial censuses,with its initial sample drawn from the 1971 Census. It alsocontains information about other people living in a sample-member’s household. Substantial emphasis is placed on secu-rity of access to the data and its responsible use. All researchoutputs are checked and are only released to users once disclo-sure control requirements are met. Linkage of study membersfrom one census to another and vital events is carried out byONS.ResultsThe LS has been used for a variety of research. Using linkedcensus and death records occupational differences in mortal-ity rates have been researched. Individual records from all fivecensuses have been used to contribute to research social mobil-ity, and research has also investigated the effects of long-termexposure to air pollution. Research has provided evidence ofimpact for social policy issues, e.g. health inequalities and theState Pension Age Review.DiscussionThe main strength of the LS is its large sample size (>1 mil-lion), making it the largest nationally representative longitudi-nal dataset in the UK. This allows analysis of small areas andspecific population groups. Sampling bias is almost nil, andresponse rates are very high relative to other cohort and panelstudies.ConclusionThe ONS Longitudinal Study is a vital UK research asset, pro-viding access to a large sample of census data linked across fivecensuses. It is strengthened through linkage to events data.∗Corresponding Author:Email Address: a.sizer.11@ucl.ac.uk (A Sizer)https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v4i3.1205November 2019 c© The Authors. Open Access under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

The Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study

https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10089748/1/IJPDS-presentation-abstract.pdf

The Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study

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