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ESRC priorities in international development and longitudinal studies
The document outlines the priorities and funding distribution of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in international development and longitudinal studies, emphasizing its significance in tracking individual and societal changes over time. It highlights various longitudinal studies, such as the Life Study and British cohort studies, which collect wide-ranging data to inform health and social policies. Additionally, the document addresses the benefits of these studies for government strategies, policy development, and improving social outcomes.
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ESRC priorities in international development and longitudinal studies
- 1. ESRC priorities inInternational Development and Longitudinal Studies Craig Bardsley, Head of International Development Research
- 2. Outline ▶ BasicIntro to ESRC ▶ Basic Intro to our International Development Research ▶ Overview of our Longitudinal Studies Portfolio ▶ Looking Forward
- 3. Distribution of ESRCFunding 2012/13 £33m, 16% of the total budget, was spent on Methods and Infrastructure
- 4. ESRC’s Development ResearchPortfolio Red indicates cross-Council programme Poverty Alleviation Research, £62.9M Growth Research Programme, £20.9M Education Research, £20.0M China Africa Programme, £4.5M ZELS, £19.5M Health Systems Research, £15.0M PopPov, £2.9 ESPA, £40.5M UpGro, £12.0M Total budget since 2005: £198.2m (ESRC contribution ~21%)
- 5. What is aLongitudinal Study ▶ Survey that provides data about the same individual at different points in time ▶ Allows change over time to be tracked ▶ Can also be used to study changes in the lives of organisations and institutions as well as individual people ▶ Reveal the complex pattern of changes at the individual level not just how the population as a whole has changed ▶ Film strip vs. single snapshot - showing how individuals or families have changed over time
- 6. Why are LongitudinalStudies Important ▶ Breadth and depth of information we can collect – We can record and chart the progress of an individual or group of individuals across their life course ▶ Short-term vs. long-term phenomena – Information on change – help us examine and understand change – identify trends – inform us about which factors impact on and influence people’s lives ▶ Inform strategies for improvement ▶ Helps us evaluate the impact of policies to change social behaviour eg the promotion of healthier lifestyles
- 7. Types of LongitudinalStudies ▶ UK Decennial Census ▶ Individual level panel surveys - samples of individuals are tracked and interviewed ▶ Household panel surveys - individuals are followed within the context of the households where they live and information is normally collected about the whole household ▶ Cohort studies - individuals from a particular age range are followed to explore their different trajectories as they age ▶ Record linkage studies - administrative or survey data are linked across time
- 8. Introduction to ESRC’sportfolio ▶ Unique, world–leading longitudinal studies ▶ The ‘jewel in ESRC’s crown’ – Life Study – 1958 National Child Development Study – 1970 British Cohort Study – Millennium Cohort Study – Next Steps (formerly Longitudinal Study of Young People (LSYPE)) – Understanding Society ▶ The Cohort and Longitudinal Studies Enhancement Resources (CLOSER)
- 9. Life Study ▶Aims to become a world-leading research study used to understand and improve the lives of children and their families ▶ Is large in scale and innovative in design – an integrated sample of more than 80,000 babies, mothers and their partners (aged ≥ 16 years) to be recruited over a four year period via two different sampling strategies – Pregnancy component ~63,000 births – Birth component 20,000 births ▶ will follow children through to adult life starting in pregnancy with a strong focus on the first year of life ▶ will provide insights into pathways leading to life long health and well being and the interplay between biology, behaviour and the broader social, physical and economic environment ▶ will inform health and social policies in areas of major importance to the lives of UK children now
- 10. 1958 National ChildDevelopment Survey (NCDS) ▶ The NCDS follows the lives of 17,000 people born in England, Scotland and Wales in a single week of 1958. ▶ Also known as the 1958 Birth Cohort Study ▶ It collects information on: – physical and educational development – economic circumstances – employment – family life – health behaviour – wellbeing – social participation – attitudes.
- 11. 1970 British CohortStudy (BCS70) ▶ The BCS70 follows the lives of more than 17,000 people born in England, Scotland and Wales in a single week of 1970. ▶ Since the birth survey in 1970, there have been eight ‘sweeps’ of all cohort members at ages 5, 10, 16, 26, 30, 34, 38 and 42. Next (Age 46) is planned to be a biosocial sweep, co-funded with MRC. ▶ Over the course of cohort members lives, the BCS70 has collected information including: – Health – physical, educational and social development – economic circumstances
- 12. Millennium Cohort Study(MCS) ▶ A multi-disciplinary research project following the lives of around 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000-01. ▶ Tracks Millennium children through their early childhood years and plans to follow them into adulthood. ▶ Collecting information on the children’s siblings and parents. ▶ Diverse topics covered include: – parenting, childcare and school choice – child behaviour and cognitive development – child and parental health – parents’ employment and education – income and poverty – housing, neighbourhood and residential mobility – social capital – ethnicity.
- 13. Next Steps (formerlyLongitudinal Study of Young People in England) ▶ Next Steps is a large scale panel survey following the lives of around 16,000 people born in 1989-90. ▶ The study began in 2004, when the cohort members were aged 13 to 14, with yearly interviews until age 19-20 in 2010 to explore experiences over the past academic year. ▶ LSYPE was set up to : – gather evidence about transitions from secondary and tertiary education or training to economic roles in early adulthood – Enhance ability to monitor and evaluate effects of existing policy and provide a strong information base for future policy development – contextualise the implementation of new policies in terms of young people’s current lives ▶ The study has collected information about: education and employment, economic circumstances, family life, physical and emotional health and wellbeing, social participation and attitudes.
- 14. Understanding Society ▶A study about 21st Century UK life and how it is changing. ▶ Capturing information about social and economic circumstances, attitudes, behaviours and health. ▶ 100,000+ people (adults and 10-15 year olds) ▶ 40,000 households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland ▶ 5,040 postal codes ▶ Incorporates the British Household Panel Survey – the UK’s first socio-economic household panel survey launched in 1991
- 15. Cohorts and LongitudinalEnhancement Resource (CLOSER) ▶ Launched on 1 October 2012 ▶ A consortium of the UK’s leading birth cohort and longitudinal studies: – Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (Children of the 90s) – 1970 British Cohort Study – Hertfordshire Cohort Study – Life Study (the new birth cohort) – Millennium Cohort Study (Child of the New Century) – 1958 National Child Development Study – 1946 MRC National Survey of Health and Development – Southampton Women’s Survey – Understanding Society ▶ Aims to maximise use, value and impact of these studies both within the UK and abroad.
- 16. Projects supporting UKLongitudinal studies ▶ Longitudinal Effects, Multilevel Modelling and Applications (LEMMA 3) ▶ UK Data Service ▶ International Centre for Life-Course Studies ▶ Research Support Unit for the ONS Longitudinal Study for England & Wales (CeLSIUS) ▶ Conducting a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) ▶ Longitudinal Studies Centre ▶ UK Census Longitudinal Study Development Hub
- 17. How do governmentand practitioners benefit from household panel surveys? Understanding Society has been used to: ▶ Identify 15 indicators of poverty resulting in a toolkit for local authorities to better target resources to tackle poverty ▶ Contribute to the ONS well-being measure for the nation. ▶ Help charities make policy recommendations. ▶ Inform strategy of Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) to improve wellbeing for visually impaired people ▶ Tackle persistent poverty through work by informing welfare reforms by the Department of Work and Pensions ▶ Social justice - supporting families by enabling government to track effectiveness of measures to improve social outcomes
- 18. How do governmentand practitioners benefit from birth cohorts? ▶ Evidence from British birth cohorts has: ▶ been extensively cited by Welsh Government in its first Early Years and Childcare Plan (July 2013) ▶ described UK social mobility for APPG report (May 2012) ▶ informed DWP and DoEs’ Child poverty strategy (2011) ▶ Contributed to Cabinet Office’ social mobility strategy (April 2011) ▶ informed the Fair Society, Healthy Lives report aka the Marmot Review (February 2010)
- 19. Innovation in longitudinalstudies ▶ Understanding Society – Scale: world’s biggest household survey – Innovation panel – Ethnic minority boost sample – Biosocial metrics ▶ Life Study – Participation of fathers – In pregnancy collection – Scale: world’s biggest cohort – Biosocial metrics ▶ CLOSER – Best practise – Search platform
- 20. Future opportunities ▶Data linkage – Administrative Data Research Network (ADRN) ▶ Interdisciplinary ▶ Knowledge exchange
- 21. Understanding Society –Key Features Large sample size: 40,000 households, approx 100,000 individuals, approx 3 billion data points Long-term with annual interviews: 20 years, building on and incorporating 18 years of BHPS data Multi-purpose, multi-topic: wide range of questions, bio-social elements and ethnic boost Innovation and methodological development: Innovation Panel, new methodological tools ▶ Record linkage studies - administrative or survey data are linked across time
- 22. Content ▶ Standardof living measures ▶ Family, social networks and interactions, local contexts, social support, technology and social contacts ▶ Illicit and risky behaviour ▶ Lifestyle, social, political, religious and other participation, identity and related practices, life satisfaction/happiness ▶ Psychological attributes, cognitive abilities and behaviour ▶ Preferences, beliefs, attitudes and expectations ▶ Health outcomes and health related behaviour ▶ Education, human capital and work
- 23. Progress Data Collection:Waves 1-4 completed; Waves 5 and 6 in the field Waves 1-3 available from the UK Data Service; Wave 4 due to be released in November 2014 Innovation Panel: Wave 6 deposited at the UK Data Service for release at the end of July; Wave 7 in the field Governance: Complex but effective. Successful monitoring and assurance on key issues such as mixed mode; content; response rates and data access
- 24. Innovations Innovation embeddedthroughout the Study: Ethnic Minority Boost Sample Methodological Development Biological Samples Data Linkage
- 25. Communications and Impact New website: regular developments and content updates Introduction of inter-wave mailings to participants Over 4,000 Twitter followers Regular Case Studies being published Full complement of communications staff: Communications Manager; Impact Fellow; Web Editor; and Director of the Policy Unit
- 26. Challenge of maximisingvalue Questions people want to ask Questions the data is relevant for Questions originally intended “90% of our data has never been analysed” “I wish we’d thought of/had the funding for that” Yes! We’ve got the data to answer that.
- 27. Some possible thingsto consider ▶ Design around long-term societal and social scientific challenges and/or national priorities ▶ Make the case to government for longitudinal studies as key investment in scientific capability (not just STEM) ▶ Push the envelope on methodological innovation (mixed methods, interdisciplinary (incl. natural sciences), biosocial, administrative linkages, but also big data, satellite data?) and cost-effectiveness ▶ Build in capacity for flexibility and future innovation ▶ Enhance the capacity for international comparison ▶ Think about the possible impact on power dynamics for participants
Editor's Notes
- #9 ESRC-funded longitudinal studies coupled with the wealth of world-class social science research infrastructure and pioneering research methods are at the heart of ESRC strategy. The evidence they produce is addressing many of the most pressing questions facing our economy and society The ESRC supports a collection of unique, world –leading longitudinal studies They are the ‘jewel in ESRC’s crown’ The new Life Study adds to the suite of internationally renowned ESRC funded longitudinal and cohort studies including: 1958 National Child Development Study 1970 British Cohort Study Millennium Study Longitudinal Study of Young People (LSYPE) Understanding Society The use, value and impact of these studies and other ESRC and MRC funded longitudinal studies being strengthened by a unique resource the Cohort and Longitudinal Studies Enhancement Resources (CLOSER) Life Study aims to become a world-leading research study used to understand and improve the lives of children and their families is large in scale and innovative in design (83,000 babies, mothers and partners) will follow children through to adult life starting in pregnancy with a strong focus on the first year of life will provide insights into pathways leading to life long health and well being and the interplay between biology, behaviour and the broader social, physical and economic environment will inform health and social policies in areas of major importance to the lives of UK children now
- #17 LEMMA 3: Longitudinal Effects, Multilevel Modelling and Applications UK Data Service International Centre for Life-Course Studies (UCL) http://www.ucl.ac.uk/icls/ CeLSIUS: Research Support Unit for the ONS Longitudinal Study for England & Wales (UCL) UK LS - Research Support Units Conducting a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA): a unique resource (UCL) Capital Projects Extension for the Longitudinal Studies Centre – Scotland from 2012 to 2017 (St Andrews) UK LS - Research Support Units UK Census Longitudinal Study Development Hub (St Andrews) UK LS - Research Support Units
- #18 September 2013 Understanding Society has been used to identify 15 indicators of poverty. With this new information, Demos has created a toolkit to help different agencies and public services work together to tackle poverty. Local authorities are already using the toolkit to learn how to spend their money and make the biggest difference to individuals and communities. Link: http://www.demos.co.uk/poverty/toolkit (Quote from YouTube video: “This toolkit – and looking more at household poverty – will certainly help us shape and inform our approach to dealing with it. It will help us target our limited resources and make sure we’re spending it on the right people and right things.” Paul Hayes, Policy Manager, Wakefield council Understanding Society contributes to the ONS well-being measure for the nation. The aim of the measure is to develop and publish an accepted and trusted set of National Statistics which help people understand and monitor well-being. Traditional measures of progress such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) have long been recognised as an incomplete picture of the state of the nation. Other economic, social and environmental measures are needed alongside GDP to provide a complete picture of how society is doing. The introduction of welfare reform, parenting classes and the troubled families interventions will all be assessed against their effect on the personal wellbeing of those involved. Links: The interactive National Well-being Wheel of Measures Other ONS graphics featuring UKHLS data Charities use Understanding Society to make policy recommendations. Charities Age UK and Grandparents Plus have used Understanding Society to learn about informal childcare provided by grandparents and have found that childcare provided by grandparents is worth £7.3 billion per year. As the state pension rises and numbers of working grandparents increase, it will be important that they can combine work with grandchild care. There’s a need to avoid a ‘care gap’ that could emerge when mothers leave their job because grandparents work and can’t care for their grandchildren. Policy recommendations from the two charities have suggested that flexible working arrangements will make it easier for grandparents to continue to support their families. Links: News article online: http://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/archive/grandparental-care-now-worth-7-point-3-billion/ Briefing Paper: http://www.grandparentsplus.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Briefing-paper-on-grandparental-childcare.pdf Press release: http://www.grandparentsplus.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Grandparental-childcare-30-May-2013.pdf Understanding Society news article (including links to media coverage): https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/2013/06/04/grandparents-throw-squeezed-families-a-life-line Living with sight loss – improving wellbeing for visually impaired people Based on Understanding Society and the Life Opportunities Survey the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) found that people living with sight loss reported lower feelings of wellbeing, reduced self-confidence and more dissatisfaction with their life. Their new strategy, informed by this evidence and other primary research, aims to make everyday better for people living with sight loss. The secondary analysis of Understanding Society helped reinforce some existing evidence that experiencing sight loss had a severe emotional impact on an individual. And because of its longitudinal nature RNIB will be using Understanding Society to track wellbeing over time, and monitor the success of their new strategy. Tackling persistent poverty through work Tackling child poverty and promoting social justice requires effort to be targeted at people in persistent poverty and most in need. The Department of Work and Pensions is using Understanding Society (and previously, the British Household Panel Study), to produce the Low Income Dynamics Report. This identifies the nature of families and individuals spending three or more years out of any four year period in a household with below 60% of median income. The evidence is particularly critical for the new welfare reforms, designed to provide greater incentives for work. The data shows that there are a million people who have been stuck on working-age benefit for at least three out of the past four years. Social justice - supporting families The Government’s new Social Justice Strategy was launched in 2012. Based on Understanding Society evidence, which shows that around 45% of children do not live with both their generic parents by the age of 15, the strategy seeks to ensure that family stability through sustained parental relationships are integral to transforming lives, and that parents have the support and tools needed to turn around their lives. Furthermore an estimated 11% to 28% of children live in families where married and co-habiting parents report some level of unhappiness with their parental relationship. Using Understanding Society, the government will be tracking the effectiveness of its support for families and the extent to which measures being taken are improving social outcomes.
- #19 Welsh Government’s Early Years and Childcare Plan draws on evidence from the British birth cohort studies (July 2013) Evidence from the 1958, 1970 and Millennium cohort studies has been cited extensively by the Welsh Government in its first Early Years and Childcare Plan. The 10-year plan highlights findings from the cohort studies that show factors such as mother’s health during pregnancy, child’s birthweight, parents’ education and employment, family’s housing and socio-economic circumstances can have a lasting effect on children’s cognitive, social and behavioural development. Read more British birth cohort studies describe UK social mobility for APPG report (May 2012) An all-party parliamentary group report outlining seven ‘truths’ about social mobility and the challenges they pose for policy makers, drew on evidence from the 1958, 1970 and Millenium cohort studies to describe the level of social mobility in the UK. It emphasises that social mobility is low by international standards and, judging by a comparison of the 1958 and 1970 cohorts, it is not improving. Read more Child poverty strategy draws on evidence from British cohort studies (April 2011) Alongside the Social Mobility Strategy, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education also published a new child poverty strategy ‘A New Approach to Child Poverty: Tackling the Causes of Disadvantage and Transforming Families’ Lives ‘. This also drew on research based on the British cohort studies, particularly relating to the role of early intervention in improving how children do at school. Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/177031/CM-8061.pdf British cohort studies inform Cabinet Office’ social mobility strategy (April 2011) The coalition government’s social mobility strategy, published in April 2011, acknowledges the contributions of the British cohort studies in identifying the factors affecting life chances, such as smoking in pregnancy. It also recognises that the cohort studies have produced important evidence on the origins and consequences of child poverty, the evolution of attainment gaps between rich and poor children and trends in social mobility over time. Read more. Marmot Review informed by Millennium Cohort Study (February 2010): The report Fair Society, Healthy Lives, more generally known as the Marmot Review, published on 11 February 2010, as part of the Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post-2010, was informed by evidence from Centre for Longitudinal Studies, in particular from the Millennium Cohort Study. Read more
- #20 There are many innovations in the vast porfolio of longitudinal and cohort studies that the ESRC supports, but to give you a flavour of the range of innovaton:
- #21 Now innovations allow research in new areas, offer interdisciplinary ooportunities
- #22 The Study’s sample size gives it unrivalled analytical power, including providing robust regional data sets and allows analysis of the views, circumstances and behaviour of groups, like older people, parents, savers or users of public services. Central to the Study is the family and dynamics within the family. On issues like education, personal finances, housing and caring responsibilities a full understanding of the family context is critical. Other studies that concentrate on specific areas like crime do not capture things going on in the wider lives of British households. Understanding Society links together for example financial status, health, experiences of crime or responses to major life events. The scale of the Study gives us the ability to undertake sub-analyses, particularly for age and ethnicity, in areas like health, personal finances and personal well-being that are very important given demography of modern Britain. Understanding Society will also have regional findings for these demographics. To guide the development and implementation of this innovation, Understanding Society includes a separate sample (or sub-sample), the "Innovation Panel", which is selected and interviewed for methodological development and testing purposes. The Innovation Panel is an essential tool to aid good decision making and ensure the long-term health of Understanding Society.
- #23 Topics include: Standard of living measures (income, consumption, material deprivation, expenditure, financial well-being) Family, social networks and interactions, local contexts, social support, technology and social contacts Illicit and risky behaviour (crime, drug use, anti-social behaviour etc) Lifestyle, social, political, religious and other participation, identity and related practices, dimensions of life satisfaction/happiness Psychological attributes, cognitive abilities and behaviour Preferences, beliefs, attitudes and expectations (including attitudes and behaviours related to environmental issues (energy, transport, air quality, global warming etc)) Health outcomes and health related behaviour Education, human capital and work Initial conditions, life history
- #26 Since the redevelopment of the Understanding Society website, and the subsequent phase 2 developments which includes social media, there has been a 49% increase in users to 17,559 users (Feb-May 2013 in comparison to Feb- May 2014). In addition there has been a 217% increase in Twitter followers to 4332 (since April 2013). In terms of media coverage, there have been at least 51 high-profile news articles published in 2014, achieving coverage across a broad cross-section of media outlets both online and in print, including The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, BBC and Sky. The most popular research to get covered in recent months includes: Feifei Bu’s Firstborn Daughters; University of Exeter’s Greenspace; and NatCen’s Fatherhood project The Twitter account continues to go from strength to strength with some 4,211 followers, including a number of participants. A Financial Services Roundtable was held on 5th June. It had broad support from across the sector including the CBI. Taking forward some actions with representatives from Barclay's Bank. Case Studies can be found at: https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/case-studies Work is progressing on developing a system for identifying and tracking research that is being done using Understanding Society data, to bring together current data on users, research projects, publications and media coverage, and gather additional information on impact generated by research and analysis.