The English Longitudinal Study

of Ageing (ELSA)Data & Documentation 2008

Jibby Medina

NatCen

Content

• ELSA data sets – in archive• Questionnaires• Variable listings• Field documents• User Guides

• Life History

• ELSA data sets – not archived• Administrative Data

Data available

ELSA data in archive (1)

• Index file for linking (including mortality data)• All eligible ELSA respondents & all HH members (HSE)• Serial No, outcomes & basic data

• Wave 0• HSE waves 1998, 1999 & 2001• Common variables across 1998, 1999 & 2001

ELSA data in archive (2)

Waves 1 – 3• Core variables

and financial

derived variables• Training dataset

Wave 2 nurse data

File Wave 0

Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Core Data TBA

Nurse Data N/A N/A TBA

Index File Updates TBA TBA

Life History Data N/A N/A N/A TBA N/A

Ryff Self Completion Data

N/A N/A N/A N/A

Telephone Interview (with non -responders) Data

N/A N/A N/A TBA TBA

End of Life Interview Data

N/A N/A N/A TBA TBA

Financial Derived Variables

N/A TBA

Pension Wealth Derived Variables

N/A N/A N/A N/A

Pension Grid N/A TBA

Mortgage Data N/A N/A N/A N/A

Mortgage Grid N/A N/A N/A TBA

Technical Report N/A5 TBA TBA

ELSA documentation (1)

• Questionnaire:

• Complete questionnaires – W1, W2 & W3

Future developments:

• Flowcharts of questionnaire

• Interactive documentation – also HRS and SHARE

ELSA documentation (2) - Variable listing

ELSA documentation (3)

• Field documents:

• Main & nurse survey documents

• Coding & editing instructions

• User guides for datasets

ELSA documentation (4) – User guides for data sets

• Sample Design and Fieldwork - Original & Refreshment

• Dataset Information:

Serial Numbering Multi-Coded and Dichotomous Variables

Interview Outcome Survey Module Identifiers

Age & Gender Dropped Variables (disclosive)

Missing Values Proxy or Institution respondents

• Weighting - Longitudinal weight & Cross-sectional weight

• Additional - Additional Variables & Files Deposited at UK Data Archive

Notes About Particular Variables

Variables With a Different Name or Label (at this wave)

Life History Interview

Life History Interview

• Follow up interview at Wave 3

• We know little about ELSA respondents before their HSE interview (i.e. before 1998)

• Asks about childhood and important life events

• Aim to enhance our understanding of how early life and events throughout life impact upon circumstances of older people

• Calendar technique to enhance recall

Topics covered

• Children & fertility

• Partners

• Where lived

• Work history

• Health

• Relationship with parents as a child

• Other important life events

Data not archived

Other data available (not archived)

• Wave 2 genetics data

• Geography (Waves 0, 1, 2 & 3)

• Government office region

• Local authority

• Population density

• Urban/rural indicator

• Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)

• Other non-archived variables (e.g. Cause of death)

Administrative data

DWP & HMRC administrative data• National insurance contributions• Benefit records• Tax credit records• Added at Wave 3: tax records, savings and

pensions

Request access from NatCen data manager

Administrative data

Additional health data• Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES)• Cancer register• To be matched soon

Approx 80% of respondents consented to HES and DWP/HMRC data linkage

ELSA Reports

Where to get more info

ELSA website• http://www.ifs.org.uk/elsa

Data and associated documentation• http://www.esds.ac.uk/longitudinal/

ELSA data manager (Susan Nunn)• s.nunn@natcen.ac.uk

ELSA lead researcher (Kate Cox)• k.cox@natcen.ac.uk

The English Longitudinal Study of

Ageing (ELSA)

Thank you