DOI: 10.5255/ukda-sn-9109-1
title: Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, 2018
title: Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, 2008-
title: OPN

description: &lt;p&gt;The &lt;em&gt;Opinions and Lifestyle Survey&lt;/em&gt; (OPN) is an omnibus survey that collects data from respondents in Great Britain. Information is gathered on a range of subjects, commissioned both internally by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and by external clients (other government departments, charities, non-profit organisations and academia).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One individual respondent, aged 16 or over, is selected from each sampled private household to answer questions. Data are gathered on the respondent, their family, address, household, income and education, plus responses and opinions on a variety of subjects within commissioned modules. Each regular OPN survey consists of two elements. Core questions, covering demographic information, are asked together with non-core questions that vary depending on the module(s) fielded.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The OPN collects timely data for research and policy analysis evaluation on the social impacts of recent topics of national importance, such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the cost of living. The OPN has expanded to include questions on other topics of national importance, such as health and the cost of living.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information about the survey and its methodology, see the gov.uk &lt;a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/methodologies/opinionsandlifestylesurveyqmi"&gt;OPN Quality and Methodology Information&lt;/a&gt; (QMI) webpage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Changes over time&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Up to March 2018, the OPN was conducted as a face-to-face survey. From April 2018 to November 2019, the OPN changed to a mixed-mode design (online first with telephone interviewing where necessary). Mixed-mode collection allows respondents to complete the survey more flexibly and provides a more cost-effective service for module customers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In March 2020, the OPN was adapted to become a weekly survey used to collect data on the social impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the lives of people of Great Britain. These data are held under Secure Access conditions in SN 8635, &lt;em&gt;ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, 2019-2023: Secure Access&lt;/em&gt;. (See below for information on other Secure Access OPN modules.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From August 2021, as coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were lifted across Great Britain, the OPN moved to fortnightly data collection, sampling around 5,000 households in each survey wave to ensure the survey remained sustainable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;







&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Secure Access OPN modules&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Besides SN 8635 (which includes the COVID-19 Module), other Secure Access OPN data includes sensitive modules run at various points from 1997-2019, including Census religion (SN 8078), cervical cancer screening (SN 8080), contact after separation (SN 8089), contraception (SN 8095), disability (SNs 8680 and 8096), general lifestyle (SN 8092), illness and activity (SN 8094), and non-resident parental contact (SN 8093). See the individual studies for further details and information on how to apply to use them.&lt;/p&gt;


 &lt;p&gt;Alongside the usual Classification questions, this study includes the following non-core OPN modules:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;MAZ Internet Access module, run in January, February and April 2018 (also includes questions on Citizenship (passports), and Higher Education (whether respondent has a degree). This module was conducted on behalf of ONS and covers internet use for work, leisure, purchasing, banking, and other services, via computers, mobile devices and smartphones.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;MAK Train Satisfaction module, run in February 2018. This module was conducted on behalf of the Department for Transport and covers short- and long-distance train travel and opinions on various aspects of train services. (This module was previously held separately under SN 8576, which is no longer available.)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;