DOI: 10.5255/ukda-sn-9147-1
title: Understanding Society: UKMOD Input Data, 2010-2019: Special Licence Access
title: Understanding Society, Waves 1-, 2008- : Safeguarded/Special Licence
title: UKHLS

description: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Understanding Society&lt;/span&gt; (the UK Household Longitudinal Study), which began in 2009, is conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex, and the survey research organisations Verian Group (formerly Kantar Public) and NatCen. It builds on and incorporates, the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), which began in 1991. 
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Understanding Society: UKMOD Input Data, 2010-2019: Special Licence Access &lt;/span&gt;dataset provides input data for the longitudinal version of the UKMOD microsimulation model. The longitudinal version of UKMOD runs on Understanding Society data and covers the period 2010-2019 (Waves 1-11). The UKHLS is a large panel survey with a sample of approximately 40,000 households in its first wave. It contains detailed income data and a wide range of demographic and labour market information. As such it is the primary survey of interest in the UK for those interested in longitudinal analysis.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;UKMOD is a tax-benefit microsimulation model (MSM) for the UK and its constituent nations (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) that originated from EUROMOD. Since 2020 UK MOD has replaced, as a stand-alone model, the UK component of EUROMOD. UKMOD is freely accessible, released open-source, and thoroughly documented and validated using external data. The standard cross-sectional version of UKMOD uses the Family Resources Survey (FRS) as its input dataset.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A tax-benefit microsimulation model is a computer code that calculates disposable income for each micro-unit (such as individual or household) in a representative sample of the population, under a specific policy scenario. Based on micro-level information about the individual and household characteristics and on legislative rules, UKMOD simulates the amount of fiscal liabilities and benefit entitlements at the tax-benefit unit level.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tax-benefit microsimulation models are used to answer "what if" questions about the effects of tax and benefit reforms on household incomes and the income distribution. Such analysis is regularly performed for Budget and other Government policy announcements, and is also highly relevant for the design of alternative reforms and new policy instruments taking account of the diverse economic circumstances of the UK population. The longitudinal version of the data allows researchers to address additional questions, for example about the evolution of outcomes of interest over time. It also allows UKMOD outputs to be linked with additional information not used by the tax and benefit model but present in the UKHLS data for example, about labour market activity, retirement, health and wellbeing and others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SN 9147 can be used on its own with UKMOD and is sufficient to conduct typical UKMOD analysis. For applicants seeking to add additional Understanding Society variables not included in the UKMOD dataset SN 9147, accessing SN 6614 (Safeguarded / EUL) and linking it to dataset SN 9147 normally provides a sufficient level of detail. However, in some instances, the desired variables may only be available in the safeguarded / Special Licence equivalent, SN 6931. Full details of how to link the datasets are provided in the User Guide.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;