The Millennium Cohort Study

Shirley Dex

Institute of Education,

University of London

Centre for Longitudinal Studies

Why cohort studies are important

Birth cohort studies are expensive compared to cross-sectional surveys, but they are important because: They tell the linked stories of the lives of the

members They record how long someone occupies a

given state They link events across the life course & across

domains They enable investigation of the cause &

effects, early experience to later outcomes

Design Features of MCS

Cohort born over 12 month period Season of birth effects Spread workload of professional interviewers Sampling necessitated

Geographically clustered by electoral ward Wards being disproportionately stratified

3 types of ward; advantaged, disadvantages and high minority ethnic

Content multi-purpose & multidisciplinary

Elements and content of the first survey: Mother (75 mins)

Interview Self-completionEthnicity & language

Baby’s father

Lone parenthood

Pregnancy, labour & delivery

Baby’s health & development

Childcare

Grandparents, friends & social support

Parental health

Education & training

Employment & earnings

Housing, local community & services

Time with & without the baby

Other interests

Baby’s temperament & behaviour

Relationship with partner

Previous relationships

Domestic tasks

Previous pregnancies

Mental health

Attitudes to relationships, parenting, work, etc

Elements and content of the first survey: Father (30 mins)

Interview Self-Completion

Ethnicity & language

Father’s involvement with baby

Grandparents, friends & social support

Parental health

Education & training

Employment & earnings

Time with & without the baby

Other interests

Baby’s temperament & behaviour

Relationship with partner

Previous relationships

Children living elsewhere

Mental health

Attitudes to relationships, parenting, work, etc

MCS1 sample size, by country

ChildrenFamilies

interviewed Partners

Single Parents

Total UK 398 20,646 18,819 18,553 13,599 3,194

ENGLAND 200 13,146 11,695 11,533 8,558 1,853

WALES 73 3,000 2,799 2,761 1,957 590

N IRELAND 63 2,000 1,955 1,923 1,326 376

SCOTLAND 62 2,500 2,370 2,336 1,758 375

Notes ** all productive contacts* counting 'superwards' as a single

Achieved Responses **Number of sample

'wards' *

Target sample as boosted

MCS Response Rates, By Country

Achieved Response Rate

In-scope Fieldwork Response Rate

WALES 72% 84%

ENGLAND 68% 82%

SCOTLAND 70% 85%

NORTHERN IRELAND

63% 79%

Patterns of Parenthood at the beginning of the 21st Century

Family Type by Mother’s Age

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

14 to19

20 to24

25 to29

30 to34

35 to39

40 orover

Lone natural mother

Both natural parents -cohabiting

Both natural parents -married

Patterns of Parenthood at the beginning of the 21st Century

Family Type by Baby’s Ethnic Identity

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Lone natural mother

Both natural parents -cohabiting

Both natural parents -married

Patterns of Parenthood at the beginning of the 21st Century

Non-resident fathers

Frequency non-resident father sees baby 36.4% - not in any contact

14.6% - less than once a month or never

17.9% - at least once a week

16.7% - 3-6 times a week

14.4% - every day

Patterns of Parenthood at the beginning of the 21st Century

Grandparents Financial help for essentials

24.7% of mother’s parent(s) 21.1% of father’s parent(s) Provision of childcare while at work 35.3% of mother’s parent(s) 18.8% of father’s parent(s) Co-residence 4.5% with mother’s parent(s) 2% with father’s parent(s)

Patterns of Parenthood at the beginning of the 21st Century

Living with grandparents by Baby’s Ethnic Group

0

10

20

30

40

%Maternalgrandparent(s)Paternalgrandparent(s)

Mothers who ever breastfedby type of ward

 

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

ENGLAND WALES SCOTLAND N IRELAND

Ethnic

Advantaged

Disadvantaged

Parents’ units of alcohol consumption

 

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Mothers Fathers

Un

its

pe

r w

ee

k-

av

era

ge

England ethnic Other England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland

Note: One unit of alcohol = 10g alcohol (approximately half a pint of beer / one glass of wine)

 

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Respondent

Partner

Non-resident partner

Grandparents

Other relatives

Friends/neighbours

Nanny/au pair

Childminder

Nursery

When at work When not at work

Types of childcare used when main respondent a) at work or college and b) at

other times

Parents’ Employment

Parents’ Employment in UK

Two Parent Families

Both Working 54.5%

Father only Working 36.4%

Mother only Working 2.4%

Neither Working 6.7%

Lone Parent Families

Lone Parent Working 24.7%

Lone Parent Not Working 75.3%

MCS2: Design & Fieldwork

The second MCS survey is taking place around the time of the children’s third birthdays

The survey will follow all those 18553 families who took part in MCS1 plus some 500 New families in England who were missed by DWP last time

Fieldwork started in September 2003 in England & Wales and in December in Scotland & Northern Ireland.

MCS2 includes Mums (60 mins), Dads ( 17mins), the cohort children themselves ( ca 30mins) and older siblings

MCS2: Elements of the survey – Cohort Child (20 minutes) Cognitive assessments:

British Ability Scales (II) Naming Vocabulary subscale – designed to measure expressive language & knowledge of names

Bracken Basic Concept Scale – Revised (BBCS-R)

MCS uses subscales 1-6:1. Colours - primary & basic colour items2. Letters - upper & lowercase letters3. Numbers/Counting - single- and double-digit numbers & counting4. Sizes - one, two & three dimensions5. Comparisons 6. Shapes - one, two, and three dimensional shapes

MCS2: Elements of the survey – Cohort Child (Contd.)

Measurement of Height & Weight

Sample of Saliva (not for DNA purposes)

Interviewer observation of home environment & neighbourhood

Analysis Possibilities

MCS1 now MCS2 mid 2005 Cross cohort analysis Cross source e.g. census, International comparisons

Canada, Australia USA Young Lives: Ethiopia, India, Vietnam, Peru Scandinavia

MCS: The Future of Data collection

Future surveys are planned for: Age 5 2005-6 Age 7 2007-8

etc…….

Possible future design elements Obtain info on or from daycare provider at 3 At 5 and 7 Repeat interviews with resident parents Repeat cognitive and behavioural assessments with children Collect information from Schools? Collect information on child’s hospital episodes?

Useful Websites for Further Information

http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/Cohort/MCS/mcsmain.htmMillennium Cohort Study (MCS) Main pageIncludes: Rationale, Surveys, MCS Launch, Data Archive, Documentation, Contact details 

http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/Cohort/MCS/Publications/mainpubs.htmAnnual report, Conference Papers, Journal Articles 

http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/cms/get.asp?cid=6186Bedford Group (BG) on the Institute of Education (IoE) Website 

http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/cms/get.asp?cid=6194&6194_0=8239MCS on BG/IoE Website including the MCS Users Guide to Initial Findings (Descriptive

Report)