New data examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on thousands of UK citizens is now available through the UK Data Service.
It comes from more than 18,000 people who completed a special online survey sent out by The UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) in May. The survey’s aim is to gather insights into how COVID-19 has affected different
aspects of their lives, including their physical and mental health and
wellbeing, family and relationships, education, work, and finances.
The
survey was completed by participants of all five of the national
longitudinal cohort studies run at CLS and the MRC Unit for Lifelong
Health and Ageing at UCL (MRC LHA at UCL). These studies have been
following large nationally representative groups of people since birth,
and their ages currently range from 19 years through to 74.
The studies included are:
- Millennium Cohort Study
- Next Steps (previously the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE1))
- 1970 British Cohort Study
- National Child Development Study
- Harmonised
Socio-Economic Measures in Four Longitudinal Cohort Studies: MRC
National Survey of Health and Development: Special Licence Access
In addition to the quantitative survey, an open question asked people to share, in their own words, how the pandemic had affected them and their loved ones, providing an opportunity for qualitative research.
The online survey data from the four CLS studies taking part, namely the MCS, Next Steps, BCS70 and NCDS, has been de-identified and is available for researchers to download under End User Licence from the UK Data Service from today. Data from the NSHD will be available from the UK Data Service, under Special Licence, shortly.
CLS Director, Professor Alissa
Goodman, said: “COVID-19 has brought unprecedented and sudden changes into all our lives. The data from the COVID-19 Survey in Five National Longitudinal Studies will enable researchers to examine the impacts of the pandemic on people in the UK of different ages and backgrounds.
“Researchers will be able to use the new data alongside other study data, collected across more than 70 years, to understand how prior life experiences shape resilience or vulnerability to the effects of the pandemic. And in the future, as we keep up with study participants, we will be able to see how the events of recent months may play out in their lives in the longer term.”
A number of research briefings, using the data from the first wave of the COVID-19 survey, are under preparation. These will explore a range of topics, from mental health, work, parenting and attitudes, and will be made available on the CLS website in the coming weeks.
A follow up COVID-19 survey (wave 2) is planned for August. The participants in all five studies will be invited to take part again.
Find out more about the data
For more information about the design and content of the survey, the response, data collected and weights, see the CLS website. The questionnaire and user guide are both available to download.