English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) (ICPSR 139)

Principal Investigator(s):
National Centre for Social Research (NatCen); University College London; Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)

This is an external resource to which ICPSR links as a courtesy. These data are not available from ICPSR. Users should consult the data owners (via English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)) directly for details on obtaining these resources.

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Alternate Title

ELSA

Summary

The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing is a study of aging and quality of life for people over the age of 50. Established in 2002, the original sample was drawn from households that had previously responded to the Health Survey for England (HSE) between 1998 and 2001. The same group of respondents are surveyed every two years to see how their health, economic, and social circumstances may change over time. One of the study's aims is to determine the relationships between functioning and health, social networks, resources, and economic position as people plan for, move into, and progress beyond retirement. It is patterned after the Health and Retirement Study, a similar study based in the United States.

Although new topics can be introduced at different waves, every module has been reviewed to ensure that it will provide data that can measure change over time. This is achieved by repeating some measures exactly, by asking directly about change, and by adopting questions to allow people to update or amend past responses.

The information collected provides data about: Household and individual demographics; Health - physical and psychosocial; Social care (from Wave 6); Work and pensions; Income and assets; Housing; Cognitive function; Social participation; Effort and Reward (voluntary work and caring); Expectations; Walking speed; Weight.

Funding

United States Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. National Institute on Aging

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

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Data Collection Notes

  1. These data are not available from ICPSR. Users should consult the data owners directly for details on obtaining the data and documentation by visiting the project site: https://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/.
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