Data Acquisition
Data from Understanding Society can be accessed from the Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS). Access for academic research is open and freely available. Researchers carrying out analysis of the data for private sector clients will be charged for access.
The ESDS makes the data available for direct download by registered users in SPSS, STATA and Tab-delimited formats. Other formats are available by special order.
A full list of the Understanding Society series of data releases can be identified in the ESDS Longitudinal Guide. There are different conditions of access including the standard End-User Licence, Special Licence, and via the UK Data Archive Secure Data Service. Licence conditions include obligations to preserve confidentiality and to notify the Archive of publications from the data.
Understanding Society is a world leading study of the socio-economic circumstances and attitudes of 100,000 individuals in 40,000 British households.
It is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and run by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER). The study allows for deeper analysis of a wide range of sections of the population as they respond to regional, national and international change. Understanding Society will greatly enhance our insight into the pathways that influence peoples longer term occupational trajectories; their health and well-being, their financial circumstances and personal relationships.
Understanding Society also breaks new ground with its interdisciplinary focus. The study will capture biomedical data on 20,000 participants and place this alongside rich social histories, helping us weigh the extent to which people's environment influences their health.