The ONS Longitudinal Study – opportunities for longitudinal research on the England and Wales population

Comprising longitudinal data on around 1.1 million individuals, the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study (ONS-LS) is the largest nationally representative longitudinal dataset in the United Kingdom. It follows a 1% sample of the England & Wales population drawn from the decennial census data (1971 – 2011), linked to some administrative data. Currently comprising up to 46 years of data (1971 – 2017) on sample members, the forthcoming linkage of the 2021 England and Wales Census data to the ONS-LS will extend this follow-up to 50 years. The Centre for Longitudinal Study Information and User Support (CeLSIUS) provides assistance for researchers wishing to use the ONS-LS in their research. Based at University College London (UCL) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS), it has been supporting academic and voluntary sector users of the ONS-LS since 2001. Its work includes helping researchers with their applications to use the ONS-LS, supporting research projects and advising on research outputs.