Posted on 14 May 2021 by Gianfranco Addario, Researcher Mental Health Awareness Week: Three risk factors for depression in older people This week it’s Mental Health Awareness Week. As we think about mental health in society today, one key group is people in their later years. How common are mental health conditions in older people, and what factors mean older people are more at risk of suffering with them? Read the rest of this entry Tags: Depression, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Mental Health Awareness, Society Watch, ageing, mental health
Posted on 21 August 2020 by Martin Wood, Director Longitudinal methods: innovation and development during Covid-19 The UK’s longitudinal social research studies have stepped forward during the Covid-19 crisis to offer a means of understanding the outbreak’s impact on work, family life, wellbeing and health-related behaviour. Read the rest of this entry Tags: ESRC, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Understanding Society, fieldwork, longitudinal studies, methodology and innovation
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 29 November 2017 by Kirby Swales, Director of Survey Research Centre ‘Learn how to bleed a radiator?’ Feedback from a public engagement event on making Britain a better place to grow old. What advice would you give your younger self about preparing for growing old? Read the rest of this entry Tags: ageing, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, pathways to retirement, retirement, pensions
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 07 March 2017 by Kirby Swales, Director of Survey Research Centre Do we need an ‘ageing strategy’? And how would we know if it is working? With growing demand on the social care system and spending on health and pensions increasingly dominating central government expenditure, Kirby Swales asks if it is time for a new ageing strategy. Read the rest of this entry Tags: ageing, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, health, pension, social care
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 07 July 2011 Social care reform will rely on good quality data On Monday the Dilnot Commission published its much anticipated report on the future of social care funding in the UK. Here Margaret Blake suggests that findings from our Health Survey for England and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing social care module of questions will give us an invaluable insight into the current state of our social care system. This data could inform implementation of the Commission’s recommendations and in the long term provide a baseline against which the impacts of the reforms are measured. Read the rest of this entry Tags: English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Health Survey for England, QDT, Questionnaire Development and Testing Hub, social care