Cohort Profile: Next Steps—the longitudinal study of people in England born in 1989–90

Why was the cohort set up?Next Steps (previously known as the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, LSYPE) is an ongoing, multidisciplinary, longitudinal study following 16 122 people who were in secondary school in England and were born in 1989-90.The Next Steps generation faced distinct socio-environmental pressure.For example: they grew up in a time of rapid technological change; faced unprecedented levels of student debt (an average of 50 000 upon graduating 1 ); entered the labour market during the Great Recession, which meant increased job precarity; and have encountered a challenging housing market.These pressures may shape the unique health and social impacts on this generation.The study was initially funded and managed by the Department for Education (formerly the Department for Education and Skills) and began in 2004.The recruited sample was in Year 9 (aged 13-14) of compulsory secondary education and was attending state-funded, private-funded independent schools or pupil referral units in England.Following the initial survey at age 14, cohort members were interviewed annually until 2010 (at age 20).The key aim of the study was to map participants' journeys from compulsory schooling to university, training and, ultimately, entry into the labour market.The initial seven sweeps (2004 to 2010) mainly focused on the educational and early labour market experiences but also included diverse information on aspects of lives, including anti-social behaviours, health and wellbeing, family formation, and aspirations for the future.