Frequently asked questions

Why is the study important?

The population of Britain is getting older as people are living longer. These days, as many as one third of individuals in Britain are 50 and over. People who are aged 50 and over are vitally important; they account for half of the nation's spending and three quarters of the nation's wealth. Many people now retire earlier and enjoy an active and healthy retirement, but some of them struggle financially or suffer poor health.

This study is designed to collect information about the health, lifestyles and financial situation of people aged 50 and over so that we can understand the relationships between different aspects of people's lives. Since we plan to interview our members taking part in the study every two years we will be able to build up a picture of how people's circumstances change over time and in later life. To help the government plan for an ageing population and longer periods of retirement, we need more information to ensure the health care and pension systems will be able to meet everyone's needs.

ELSA data has also been used by researchers all over the world to investigate a wide range of research questions and has produced many interesting findings. ELSA data is often compared to data from similar studies in other countries, allowing us to explore potential differences between the lives of people living in different places. For example, Mauricio Avendano and his colleagues compared the proportion of people in ELSA with conditions like diabetes and heart disease with those in the US Heath and Retirement Study and found that Americans reported worse health than the English.

What is the study about? | Why have I been selected? | Why have I been asked to do the interview on behalf of someone else? | Is the survey confidential? | Who is carrying out the study? | Why is the study important? | What questions will I be asked? | Who is paying for the study? | Who can I contact about the study?

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