Young Lives: an International Study of Childhood Poverty: Round 5, 2016

This study includes data and documentation for Round 5 only. Round 1 is available under SN 5307, Round 2 under SN 6852, Round 3 under SN 6853 and Round 4 under SN 7931.<br>
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The Young Lives survey is an innovative long-term project investigating the changing nature of childhood poverty in four developing countries. The purpose of the project is to improve understanding of the causes and consequences of childhood poverty and examine how policies affect children's well-being, in order to inform the development of future policy and to target child welfare interventions more effectively. The study is being conducted in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. These countries were selected because they reflect a range of cultural, geographical and social contexts and experience differing issues facing the developing world; high debt burden, emergence from conflict, and vulnerability to environmental conditions such as drought and flood. The Young Lives study aims to track the lives of 12,000 children over a 15-year period, surveyed once every 3-4 years. Round 1 of Young Lives surveyed two groups of children in each country, at 1 year old and 5 years old. Round 2 returned to the same children who were then aged 5 and 12 years old. Round 3 surveyed the same children again at aged 7-8 years and 14-15 years, Round 4 surveyed them at 12 and 19 years old, and Round 5 surveyed them at 15 and 22 years old. Thus the younger children are being tracked from infancy to their mid-teens and the older children through into adulthood, when some will become parents themselves.<br>
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The survey consists of three main elements: a child questionnaire, a household questionnaire and a community questionnaire. The household data gathered is similar to other cross-sectional datasets (such as the World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Study). It covers a range of topics such as household composition, livelihood and assets, household expenditure, child health and access to basic services, and education. This is supplemented with additional questions that cover caregiver perceptions, attitudes, and aspirations for their child and the family. Young Lives also collects detailed time-use data for all family members, information about the child's weight and height (and that of caregivers), and tests the children for school outcomes (language comprehension and mathematics). An important element of the survey asks the children about their daily activities, their experiences and attitudes to work and school, their likes and dislikes, how they feel they are treated by other people, and their hopes and aspirations for the future. The community questionnaire provides background information about the social, economic and environmental context of each community. It covers topics such as ethnicity, religion, economic activity and employment, infrastructure and services, political representation and community networks, crime and environmental changes. The Young Lives survey is carried out by teams of local researchers, supported by the Principal Investigator and Data Manager in each country.<br>
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Further information about the survey, including publications, can be downloaded from the <a href="http://www.younglives.org.uk/" title="Young Lives">Young Lives</a> website.<br>
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本数据集仅包含第5轮的数据与文档。第1轮数据可通过序列号SN 5307获取，第2轮对应SN 6852，第3轮对应SN 6853，第4轮对应SN 7931。

“年轻生命”（Young Lives）调查是一项创新性长期研究项目，旨在探究四个发展中国家儿童贫困的变迁特征。本项目的核心目标是深化对儿童贫困的成因与后果的认知，剖析政策如何影响儿童福祉，从而为未来政策制定提供参考，并更精准地开展儿童福利干预。研究覆盖埃塞俄比亚、印度、秘鲁与越南四国，遴选依据为这些国家涵盖了多元的文化、地理与社会语境，且面临发展中世界的各类差异化议题：高债务负担、战后重建，以及易受干旱、洪涝等环境事件影响的脆弱性。“年轻生命”研究计划在15年内追踪12000名儿童的成长轨迹，每3至4年开展一次追踪调查。第1轮调查在每个国家选取两组儿童，分别为1岁与5岁群体；第2轮回访同一批儿童，此时他们的年龄为5岁与12岁；第3轮再次回访，年龄为7至8岁与14至15岁；第4轮调查时年龄为12岁与19岁；第5轮调查则覆盖15岁与22岁的群体。由此，年幼组儿童将从婴儿期被追踪至青少年中期，年长组则被追踪至成年阶段，其中部分个体届时将为人父母。

本调查包含三大核心模块：儿童问卷、家庭问卷与社区问卷。所采集的家庭数据与其他横截面数据集（cross-sectional dataset，如世界银行的生活水平衡量研究（Living Standards Measurement Study））类似，涵盖家庭构成、生计与资产、家庭支出、儿童健康与基本服务可及性、教育等多个主题。此外，问卷还补充了照顾者对子女与家庭的认知、态度与期望相关问题。“年轻生命”调查同时收集所有家庭成员的详细时间使用数据、儿童（及照顾者）的身高体重信息，并对儿童开展学业表现测试，包括语言理解能力与数学能力测试。调查的另一重要模块是向儿童询问其日常活动、工作与学习相关的经历与态度、个人好恶、他人对待自己的方式，以及对未来的憧憬与志向。社区问卷则提供各社区的社会、经济与环境背景信息，涵盖族裔、宗教信仰、经济活动与就业、基础设施与公共服务、政治代表情况与社区网络、犯罪率与环境变化等议题。“年轻生命”调查由各国本地研究团队执行，并由各国首席研究员与数据管理员提供支持。

有关本调查的更多信息（包括研究出版物），可从「Young Lives」官方网站（http://www.younglives.org.uk/）下载获取。