MiSoC researchers have extensive expertise in using large administrative datasets, longitudinal and cross-sectional surveys, as well linked administrative and survey data. Some of these data are only accessible through special licence agreements to MiSoC researchers, and are regularly exploited for a variety of projects, including PhD theses. As an example, we have recently worked on the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education Survey and the Higher Educational Statistical Agency Records to analyse inequalities in higher education outcomes (E. Del Bono & A. Holford) and ethnic diversity in the economics profession (S. Sen).
MiSoC’s host department ISER is also the home of the UK Household Longitudinal Survey (Understanding Society) and some MiSoC researchers play leadership roles within the Understanding Society team, regularly contributing to the data collection efforts. Most recently, we have contributed to the understanding of inequalities in home schooling using data from the monthly Covid-19 data collections (read Birgitta Rabe’s briefing for Understanding Society here and Ayse Guveli’s blog for the LSE here).
MiSoC is also active in gathering new data in field and lab settings. For example, we have recently contributed to collect new data for the BOOST2018 study, a longitudinal survey of undergraduate students in the UK, with a specific focus on the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on graduates’ expectations about the future.
Our data collection effort is not exclusively focused on the UK, but extends to other countries as well. For instance, some of our researchers are working on a new field study in Turkey. New data collected as part of the Pakistani SHARE study will continue to inform our understanding about the long-term effects of maternal mental health and its impact on children’s outcome.
MiSoC’s breadth means our researchers have worked with the vast majority of the key UK micro-data resources, including National Child Development Study, the British Cohort Survey, the National Study of Young People in England, the Millennium Cohort Survey, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (including biosocial data), Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, Workplace and Employment Relations Survey, the European Social Survey, as well as key UK government-funded datasets (Labour Force Survey, Family Resources Survey, Wealth and Assets Survey, Living Costs and Food Survey, English Housing Survey).