FAQs
The following gives answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the BHPS.
BHPS Design
- What is the BHPS and when did it start?
- How frequent are the interviews?
- What is a “reference year”?
Sample
- What is the BHPS sample size and how was it selected?
- Have any new samples been added since the start of the survey?
- How do I know which sample a respondent belongs to?
Households
- What is the definition of a household?
- How are students living away treated?
- What’s a household reference person?
- Why are there no longitudinal weights for households?
Questionnaires
- Where do I find the questionnaires?
Core variables
- How do I know when a given variable is carried?
- What are the topics covered by the variable components?
- What things have others researched?
Variables
- How are missing values treated in the data?
- How do I identify imputed values?
- What are derived variables?
Data Access
- How do I access the data?
- Does it cost anything?
Updates
- How often are data released?
- Do I need to update all of my files whenever a new wave of the BHPS is released?
Publications
- What sorts of research have been done with the BHPS data in the past?
- What research has been published using these data?
Training
- What sorts of classes about the BHPS or training about its uses are available?
User Support
- Who do I call if I’ve got a problem?
User Group
- Is there a discussion list I can join?
Weights
- How are the data weighted?
- How do I use the weights created?
- Why is weighting important?
Aggregation
- How do I create household level variables that summarise information within the individual level files?
Matching
- How do I match respondents across waves?
- Respondents within households?
- Children to their parents?
- Spouses to one another?
Comparability
- Is the BHPS comparable to other longitudinal data sets?
- What opportunities are there for cross-national research with the BHPS?