Extending our understanding of informal care provision in mid-life in the UK by linking qualitative and quantitative data in the NCDS

The provision of informal care in mid-life is an issue of critical policy importance in the context of an ageing population. Much of the previous literature in this area has mapped the patterns of informal care provision across different age groups in the UK (Evandrou et al 2015; Pickard et al, 2000), and highlighted the importance of investigating the characteristics of informal care provision, such as its intensity and the relationship between the carer and the person they are caring for (Vlachantoni, 2010). At the same time, research using qualitative methods has focused on understanding the motivations of caregivers, and their own perspective on the impact that the caring activity has on their lives (Greenwood et al, 2016). However, to-date there has been little research combining data from qualitative and quantitative data in order to obtain a deeper understanding of caring in mid-life, and the links between carers' narratives about their life history, identity and perceptions about social participation with a range of demographic, health and socio-economic characteristics, as well as the particular features of the caring activity itself among carers.

The proposed project aims to exploit the National Child Development Study, a cohort study of individuals born in 1958, who were interviewed at age 50. The study will combine qualitative and quantitative methods in order to investigate how carers in mid-life understand social participation, how such perceptions differ among carers of different intensity (number of hours per week) and among non-carers; the association between the carers' perceptions of social participation and their key demographic and socio-economic characteristics; the provision of informal care towards parents or parents-in-law at age 50 related to particular influences or turning points during the carers' life course (eg. unemployment) and the provision of informal care associated with carers' identity in other ways (eg. gender and social class).

The project's output and analysis aims to contribute to the evidence base in the area of informal care provision in mid-life, and to the future design of social policies aimed at supporting informal carers. This is particularly important as caring in mid-life is becoming a more common experience for individuals, and social policies are needed and relied upon for supporting informal carers in their roles. In addition, understanding the impact of the caregiving role on the carer's circumstances, behaviour and resources, is also of paramount importance, as caregiving in mid-life for one's parents is often combined with other roles or demands during this part of the life course, such as paid work and being a parent or grandparent. The project's findings will be shared throughout the life of the research with Carers UK, and feed into debates of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Carers in the form of an accessible Policy Briefing publication. The findings will also be disseminated at a knowledge exchange workshop in collaboration with AgeUK, as well as through presentations at national and international scientific meetings, and through Discussion Papers and peer-reviewed journal articles.

The ESRC Secondary Data Analysis scheme is aimed at producing high-impact and policy-relevant research through the exploitation of existing data resources, and the proposed research will deliver such impact in five distinct ways:

Firstly, by utilising the National Child Development Study, the proposed research will directly contribute to the maximisation of existing ESRC data resource investments. Through the secondary analysis of the qualitative and quantitative parts of the dataset, the project will also contribute to another of the ESRC's priorities in the form of the expansion of the UK's skills base in quantitative data analysis, as the Co-I is an experienced quantitative researcher and the PI has extensive experience of both quantitative and qualitative techniques.

Secondly, the project is aimed at investigating a topic area with crucial policy implications, as the UK population is simultaneously ageing and the prevalence of informal care provision in mid-life is increasing. The investigation of carers' circumstances and perspectives, and our understanding of the ways in which particular characteristics or perceptions are associated with the activity of care provision, will strengthen the evidence base which can inform future social policy design aimed at supporting carers.

Thirdly, from a methodological viewpoint, the project will develop our understanding of mixed methods secondary data analysis using a cohort dataset. Existing analysis of this dataset relating to informal care provision has not exploited the qualitative dataset in the survey, and this project can provide important insights for future research. In addition, the project will provide the basis for linking quantitative information from previous waves of the survey (e.g. when the respondents were aged 42 or younger) with quantitative and qualitative information when the respondents were aged 50.

Fourthly, the research is aimed at facilitating knowledge exchange between members of the academic community (eg. at the scientific meetings), between academics and key policy stakeholders in the area of informal care provision in mid-life (eg. Carers UK), and between academics and the wider public (eg. Age UK, Southampton Pensioners Forum). Through a strategy which includes peer-reviewed academic outputs, a Knowledge Exchange Workshop, two Discussion Papers and a Policy Briefing which will be widely distributed in electronic and hard-copy format, the project will engage users (carers), stakeholders and academics alike, with a view to making a high impact on the debate in this area.

Finally, by combining a more experienced researcher (the PI) with two Early Career Researchers (the Co-I and the Research Assistant), the project will address the ESRC's core priority of developing capacity both in quantitative data analysis in the Social Sciences and in developing the necessary skills for a research or academic professional trajectory, at the same time as utilising a key data resource which represents a significant investment for the ESRC.