Common themes in design and analysis of longitudinal surveys

Abstract

Executive Summary

Some common themes emerged from the scoping studies, and are discussed in more detail. The UK has world‐leading longitudinal data resources. They have accumulated as a result of a series of design decisions as new studies have been added in ways that made the best use of the resources available at the time. The system as a whole is not optimised with clear objectives; such a system should include elements for coverage of smaller subpopulations. Research into design and optimisation of a system of longitudinal survey resources should be
commissioned, and is potentially valuable in providing evidence to support long‐term funding.

Several longitudinal survey options rely on the combination of information from different types of surveys. Microdata linkage is a well‐known topic, but how to account for linkage errors is an area of active research, which should be
supported. Additionally, data integration is needed where two datasets collected with different designs or procedures need to be put together. How to integrate
data in these circumstances, and methods to analyse the resulting data in an objective way, also need exploration and case studies.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Paul A. Smith: orcid.org/0000-0001-5337-2746

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