Longview Conference, 21July 2006 St Catherine

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Longview Conference, 21July 2006St Catherines
College, University of Oxford

• Review of Panel and Cohort Studies
• Overview

www.longviewuk.com
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Case for Investment National Challenges

• Ageing population
• Long-term effects of childhood experience in
  changing social and physical environment
• Changes in timing and duration of life course
  transitions
• Bio-techology revolution
• Shifts in family formation and structures
• Mobility, immigration and emigration
• Dynamics of diversity and inequality
• Effects of globalisation

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Review Team

• Jean Martin, ex-ONS-Oxford
• John Bynner, Institute of Education-Longview
• Harvey Goldstein, Bristol
• Graham Kalton, Westat
• Paul Boyle, St Andrews
• Vernon Gayle, Stirling
• Andrea Piesse, Westat
• Sam Parsons, Institute of Education

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Aims of the Review

1. Make scientific case for large scale longitudinal
   data resources
2. Review ESRCs existing portfolio and develop
   future strategy
3. Assess balance of different types of longitudinal
   resources needed
4. Consider methodological and other challenges and
   appropriate approaches

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Design Decisions

• Topic coverage
• interdisciplinary
• Population coverage
• general, subgroup, cohort/age group, area
• Sample design
• over-sampling, refreshment, clustering
• Data collection
• duration, frequency, topic rotation, mode
• Additions
• tests, diaries, qualitative, admin data,
  biomedical data
• Harmonisation comparability

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British Household Panel Survey
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BHPSNumber of events per annum
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BHPS Ethnic groups - expected nos of adults
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Design Options

• Need for very much larger panel
• Enhancement of current BHPS? No
• New panel?- Yes
• Designed to allow comparison and combined
  analysis
• Review
• topic coverage
• frequency of data collection
• use of rotating modules/sub-samples

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Birth Cohort Studies
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The British Birth Cohort studies
Age
60
55
50
NSHD
45
NCDS
40
BCS70
35
30
25
20
15
10
MCS
Child Data
Child Data
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0
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Year
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Birth Cohort Studies

• Major gains from extending studies and analysing
  cohorts together
• Expand support for existing studies including
  intergenerational component
• Start new study around 2012
• Consider new design options
• Spread over several years?
• More than one starting age?
• Links to admin data
• More biomedical data
• Review potential of ALSPAC to fill missing
  cohort gap

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Major challenges

• Methodology
• Capacity building
• Data access and disclosure
• Governance and funding

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Methodology and Practice

• Attrition, non-response, missing data,
• Measurement error,
• Development and methodological
• panels

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Collaboration

• Between longitudinal study teams
• Across scientific disciplines
• Between analysts
• Between academics and policy researchers
• Between UK countries
• Internationally
• Annual standing conference