Welcome to the UK Data Service
Trusted access and training to use the UK's largest collection of economic, population and social research data for teaching, learning and public benefit.
The UK Data Service will be closed from 3-6 April 2026. All services will fully resume on 7 April 2026. Online services will run unattended during this period.
Highlights
January 2026 UK Data Service newsletter
Read the full stories in our January 2026 newsletter. Looking ahead to spring, we’ll be holding our Crime Surveys User Conference 2026 in March, as well as a host of other training workshops and webinars. We’ve also launched our UK Data Service Dissertation Award 2025-26, which recognises undergraduate social science dissertations that include excellent reuse of data.
UK Data Service publishes Annual Report 2024–25: Progressing data for a better future
We have published our UK Data Service Annual Report 2024–25 for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, marking the first year of delivery under our new ESRC funding award. The report reflects a year focused on strengthening foundations: improving services, investing in infrastructure, and supporting researchers through faster access to data, new platforms, and enhanced training and engagement.
Call for papers: Family Finance Surveys User Conference 2026
Do you use UK Data Service surveys to research family finances? Submissions are now open for the Family Finance Surveys User Conference 2026. This free annual conference is organised by the UK Data Service in collaboration with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Office for National Statistics. Submission deadline is Wednesday 11 March.
Upcoming training and events
Our impact
Gender Equality Index UK case study
This new Impact Case Study looks at the Gender Equality Index UK: the first index to systematically measure and analyse the socioeconomic outcomes of women and men across all 372 local authorities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK data infrastructure: challenges, opportunities — and a cornerstone
Professor Alison Park, from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), discusses the importance of UK social science data infrastructures and outlines some of the opportunities and challenges they face.
10,000 data collections: nearly six decades of data impact
This year, the UK Data Service reached an incredible milestone — over 10,000 data collections are now discoverable through our Data Catalogue. But what is the journey to this milestone? What does it matter? And how does it set the stage for the next chapter of data innovation and impact?
Watch our data skills training webinars
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Watch and learn all the latest data skills from our free webinars, training and video tutorials.
Homeworking for Special Licence and Secure Access data
Researchers working remotely are asking: “Is it possible to access safeguarded Special Licence or Secure Access data from home?". Whether you are already accessing such data at your institution, or you are just preparing an application, you may be wondering if homeworking is an option for your project.
Working with Reddit data
This free workshop introduces the fundamentals of natural language processing (NLP) and sentiment analysis, using Reddit as a case study for social media research. We will explore the ethical and legal considerations of working with publicly available online data and discuss best practices for responsible and reproducible research.
Ignite discovery: elevate your research with data deposits
Deposit your research data free, in our ESRC funded data catalogue.
Latest news
New study sheds light on the accommodation challenges faced by women who have survived domestic abuse
Data from a new study on the experiences of women who have survived domestic abuse is now available through the UK Data Service. The Women Who Have Survived Domestic Abuse and Their Accommodation Experiences in England study includes responses from 40 women who have survived domestic abuse, with a particular focus on their experiences accessing […]
New data linkage and access initiative announced for Longitudinal Population Studies
We’re pleased to announce a new project to help maximise the visibility and long‑term value of data from Longitudinal Population Studies. The initiative will enable UK-based Longitudinal Population Studies to apply to join UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC) and/or the UK Data Service at no cost. The project is being led by UK LLC […]
UK Data Service shortlisted in two categories at the British Data Awards 2026
We’re pleased to announce that the UK Data Service has been shortlisted in the “Data Partnership of the Year” and “Not-For-Profit of the Year” categories for the British Data Awards 2026! The winners will be announced in a ceremony at the Brewery in London on 20 May. Our nomination in the “Data Partnership of the […]
Who makes us special?
Our podcast series, The Experts’ Expert, showcases some of the unique work we do to enable evidence-led research for public benefit.
