UK POPULATION LAB INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT GRANT

This proposal includes five work packages that are aimed at enhancing specific aspects of Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study, and synthesising and sharing lessons for the development of longitudinal studies more generally.

Understanding Society is a large longitudinal resource of value to a wide range of UK and international academics, students, researchers in government, civic society and businesses. The Study is multi-topic, and has some key features which make it a unique resource: the collection of annual data on people of all ages allowing analysis of short term dynamics for the whole population; data collection over a long period permitting analysis of life course changes; including all members of the household so family inter-relations and connectedness can be explored; a large sample size from all four countries of the UK, meaning that very specific subgroups of the population can be studied and the impacts of policy variation investigated; the inclusion of biomeasures, biomarkers, genetic and epigenetic information; and, additional boost samples on immigrant and ethnic minority groups.

The projects proposed in this application, include investigating the use of Understanding Society for cohort analysis and for research around birth and early life; further improving the representativeness of Understanding Society and creating opportunities for research on 'missing populations' within the Study; the value and challenges of integrating survey and administrative data; innovation in survey design (such as mixed modes, use of incentives, linkage to social media);and, innovation in content around key life events an d separating parents.

The proposed work packages involve: reviewing and synthesising literature, undertaking empirical analysis of Understanding Society, consulting expert users, conducting qualitative research to explore and improve the design of the study going forward.

Across the work packages outputs will include two think pieces, eight empirical reports (four qualitative reports and four based on descriptive analyses of the Study), three methods briefings, a list of geographical resources, and a substantial methodological review paper. For each work package a short interim summary will be provided at the end of March 2019 and all final outputs will be produced by the end of June 2019. Subsequently, some of the reports and briefings will be published as Understanding Society working papers on our website, and/or in peer review journals. The qualitative data from the shared care research project will be deposited in the UK Data Service.

Lessons from all of this research will be built into the development of Understanding Society going forward.

The primary aim of the work packages in this proposal is to identify ways of developing and improving UK longitudinal studies in general and Understanding Society in particular. The immediate beneficiaries of this work therefore are ESRC and Longitudinal Review group. The findings will also be of value to others funders and commissioners of longitudinal research and academics, governments, charities and commercial organisations, who run longitudinal and other kinds of surveys.

The ultimate aim of this research is to enhance the quality and scope of longitudinal studies in general and Understanding Society in particular. Understanding Society is a valuable longitudinal resource that addresses key social and policy issues. Beyond, the methodological insights noted above, the Study is beneficial to researchers in two ways. First it is a unique resource for investigating the short and long run causes and consequences of changes in individuals' and families' lives over time. Second, findings from the data contribute to knowledge in ways that inspire new lines of research and inform policy.

Non-academic beneficiaries include a wide range of organisations and stakeholders listed below; Understanding Society has an Impact Fellow and Policy Unit who work directly with government, think tanks and the third sector to raise awareness and capacity to use the data, as well as to generate research that leads to policy impact, and to promote impact.
o Government researchers, politicians and policy makers. The data supports important research in a broad set of policy areas, and is used for statutory reporting by a number of government departments. Key areas where important impacts are emerging include the responsibilities of the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales, as well as Whitehall departments such as DH, DWP, DfE, DfT, MHCLG, DEFRA, Home Office and BEIS. Co-Funding Government departments are directed supported in their use of the Study.
o Government executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies, parliamentary select committees, and supported research centres also use the Study's data and findings, e.g. ONS, Public Health England, Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England, What Works centres, the Low Pay Commission, etc.
o EU policy-makers and the international policy community. Findings will be relevant to other countries, either directly, if generalisability can be assumed, or indirectly by inspiring new lines of thought and comparative investigation.
o Local government officers, councillors and consortia are responsible for different services that are addressed by the Study - such as public health, social housing, social care, education, policing, recreation and recycling - and have influence over others through local development frameworks, transport plans, planning decisions and potential new powers with increasing devolution.
o Third sector organisations, think tanks, charities and independent and private research organisations. Many organisations of this type, such as the Nuffield Foundation, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, MIND, AgeUK, the Children's Society, are employing data from the Study in their work..
o Private sector businesses. Findings on a range of aspects of individual behaviour and decision making and changes in societal outcomes will be relevant to market research, evaluating initiatives, location strategies and corporate responsibility plans.
o General public. Members of the general public will have an interest in Study findings. We are undertake a range of public engagement activities and media collaborations to promote public understanding of social science drawing on the data and findings from the Study.