The NatCen Blog

Here we’ll be talking about our research in the context of the latest news, opinion and
analysis through comments from our team of experts. We’d love to hear from you, so post comments or get in touch with us.

To keep up-to-date with our latest blog posts and reports, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Posted on 17 June 2020 by Guy Goodwin, Chief Executive

Testing boundaries during the pandemic

Certainly, there is no question about the importance and relevance of some of our NatCen research right now, whether we’re finding out how older people are coping during the pandemic, helping with the volumes on the Covid-19 infection study or taking part in the partnership evaluating the contact tracing app pilot on the Isle of Wight.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: CATI, Computer-assisted telephone interviews, Covid-19 Infection Study, ELSA, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, coronavirus, innovation
Posted on 20 June 2018 by Kirby Swales, Director of Survey Research Centre

Taking a positive view on ageing: making the most of the latest data on the older population

‘Ageing’ is never far from the news. There is regular commentary about the need to challenge ageism in our society and prepare for additional costs on the welfare state. However, we know vanishingly little about what older people themselves actually think of themselves and their experiences.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: ageing, ELSA, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Posted on 16 May 2017 by Guy Goodwin, Chief Executive

NatCen on the Election: How well off are older people?

Are pensioners really as well off as economic commentators suggest? Guy Goodwin examines evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: ageing, ELSA, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, income and work, NatCen on the Election, general election, pension
Posted on 21 November 2016 by Clare Littleford, Research Director

We’re living longer – but will we all have the same chance to enjoy it?

People in the UK are living longer than ever before. Clare Littleford blogs on how the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) can help us understand how much of that time will be spent in favourable health.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: ageing, ELSA, health and wellbeing
Posted on 17 September 2015

Female Viagra: Is there a need for it?

Last month the USA’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ‘female Viagra’. How likely is it that the little pink pill will be welcomed by English women?
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: ELSA, sex, sexual functions
Posted on 06 November 2014 by Dhriti Mandalia, Senior Researcher

Hearing matters

Currently 10 million people in the UK are affected by hearing loss, a number rising with an ageing population; the charity Action on Hearing Loss estimates that by 2031 there will be more than 14.5 million people in the UK affected by some form of hearing impairment.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: ELSA, deaf, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, hearing impairment, measuring hearing, old age, older age
Posted on 08 August 2011 by Natasha Wood, Senior Researcher

‘From Cradle to Grave’: the power of longitudinal research

It was great to listen to Ben Goldacre’s programme ‘From Cradle to Grave’ on Radio 4, which rightly celebrated longitudinal research’s amazing contribution to our understanding of how the environment, lifestyle choices and social circumstances impact on our health. In fact, those of us who work in the social sciences have been following the lives of individuals ‘from cradle to grave’ for a really long time. Natasha Wood speaks more about the benefits of longitudinal research.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: British Cohort Study, ELSA, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, longitudinal research, Millenium Cohort Study, National Child Development Study, Understanding Society
Posted on 04 August 2011 by Lisa Given, Research Director at ScotCen ScotCen

Extinction or evolution: where next for the social survey?

Lisa Given talks about her attendance at the European Survey Research Association (ESRA) biannual conference in Lausanne. ESRA was set up to promote communication between survey researchers across Europe with a vision to improve the quality of substantive research and survey methodology in the social sciences.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: ELSA, European Survey Research Association, Health Survey for England, Scottish Centre for Social Research, Scottish Health Survey, Understanding Society, health, health and lifestyle
Posted on 21 June 2011 by Natasha Wood, Senior Researcher

Women's state pension age changes – evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

MPs voted last night to give the Pensions Bill a second reading but ministers have promised to look at ‘transitional arrangements’. Natasha Wood looks at recent evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) to shed light on why one aspect of the bill has caused such disquiet.
Read the rest of this entry

Tags: ELSA, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, income and welfare, Pensions Bill, retirement