Title: Understanding Society Waves 6 to 8
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study, follows individuals over time, regularly collecting data about each sample individual and his or her household. The study will provide information on both change at the individual level and how it relates to household change. Such panels have provided a major resource for understanding key issues which face societies around the world. They provide unique information on the persistence of such states as child poverty or disability, on factors which influence key life transitions, such as marriage and divorce, and they provide information on the effects of earlier life circumstances on later outcomes. They also support research relevant to the formation and evaluation of policy and they enable improved and more reliable analytical techniques. Cross-sectional data, based on only a single observation of each individual cannot achieve these aims. It addresses new and emerging research issues, such as the environmental impacts of household behaviour, health related behaviours or emerging diversity in UK society Fieldwork for the study started in 2008 with the Innovation Panel, which aims to improve methods of collecting survey data, and the main panel which began in 2009. This bid covers data collection for wave 6 to 8 and a range of other activities to develop methodology and to support users and promote it to a range of audiences. Understanding Society is based on a very large sample size, representing all ages and all aspects of UK society, and structured to capture information about individuals in their household context and its changes. The target sample, 40,000 households, provides a unique opportunity to explore issues for which other longitudinal surveys are too small to support effective research. The diversity of UK society is also captured by the inclusion of an ethnic minority boost sample. It involves annual interviews to capture the short term dynamics of social processes, observing the timing and duration of events close to the point at which they occur. Also critical to the vision is the intention to carry on for the long term so as to capture life course and intergenerational transmission processes. The substantive content, collected both by questionnaire and by other means, is multi-purpose and multi-topic, supporting a wide range of research agendas. Two areas of emphasis are support for ethnicity research and development of a biosocial survey exploring the relationships between individual behaviour, individual biological characteristics and social environment. Data will be collected directly from respondents and linked from external sources. Selection of content is based on widespread consultation with the academic and research user communities. Innovation and methodological development are key. It is a crucial test bed for the development of new scientific knowledge and will give momentum to development of new methodological tools. A programme of research on collection and analysis methods will make Understanding Society a catalyst for wider improvements in the practice of social science research. Our plan of activities is based around the major stages in the development and dissemination of a survey: specification of content, development on all aspects of the study design, collection of data to the highest standards, preparing, enhancing and documenting data for release, support for users in the most appropriate uses of the data and promotion of the study to ensure maximum impact. Core activities for this period include: development of collection by web interviews; extending the range of administrative data linked to the study; and promoting the use of the study amongst researchers, including the health and biological measures. This proposal is based on the experience of the team at Essex, Warwick and the Institute of Education which have successfully delivered the study through its first five years.


Research activity codes: 2.4 SURVEILLANCE AND DISTRIBUTION;2.5 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGIES (AETIOLOGY)
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE