Next Steps: Sweeps 1-8, 2004-2016

<p><i>Next Steps</i>, previously known as the 'Longitudinal Study of Young People in England' (LSYPE1), follows the lives of around 16,000 people born in 1989-90 in England. There have been eight sweeps of the study so far, between 2004 and 2016.<br><br>The study began in 2004 and included young people in Year 9 who attended state and independent schools in England. Following the initial survey at age 13-14, the cohort members were interviewed every year until 2010, when they were aged 19-20, to map their journeys from compulsory schooling to university, training and, ultimately, entry into the labour market. The survey over the past seven sweeps (2004-2010) has thus mainly focused on the educational and early labour market experiences of young people, but also included diverse information on aspects of their lives including social participation and attitudes, risky-, crime- and anti-social behaviours, health and wellbeing, family formation, and aspirations for the future. The survey data has also been linked to the National Pupil Database (NPD) records, including cohort members' individual scores at Key Stage 2, 3 and 4.<br><br>Interviews for the first four sweeps were conducted face-to-face, and young people were interviewed along with their parents. At Sweeps 5 to 7, a mixed mode approach was introduced and respondents – the young person only - could complete the interview online, over the telephone, or face-to-face.<br><br>The first seven sweeps of the study (2004-2010) were funded and managed by the Department for Education (DfE). In 2013 the management of Next Steps was transferred to the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) at the UCL Institute of Education.<br><br>In 2015 Next Steps was restarted, under the management of CLS, to find out how the lives of the cohort members have turned out at age 25. The eighth sweep of the study took place between August 2015 and September 2016 with the fieldwork carried out by NatCen Social Research. The Next Steps age 25 survey was aimed at increasing the understanding of the lives of the young adults growing up today, and in particular the transitions out of education and into early adult life. It maintained the strong focus on education, but the content was broadened to become a more multi-disciplinary research resource. Data was collected about cohort members' education and job training, employment and economic circumstances, housing and family life, physical and emotional health, and identity and participation. A wide range of administrative data linkage consents were collected covering health, education, economics and criminal behaviour. The collection of the data involved a sequential mixed-mode design. Participants were first invited to participate online, non-responders were then contacted by telephone and face-to-face interview afterwards.<br><br>The age 25 survey sample design comprised contacting all cohort members who had ever taken part in any of the previous sweeps of the study (except those who had given a clear refusal or are ineligible). Further information for Sweep 8 of Next Steps may be found on the <a class="external" href="https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/cls-studies/next-steps/" title="Centre for Longitudinal Studies" target="_blank">CLS</a> website.<br><br><b>Secure Access datasets:</b><br>Secure Access versions of Next Steps have more restrictive access conditions than versions available under the standard End User Licence (see 'Access' section).<br><br>Secure Access versions of the Next Steps include:</p><ul><li>sensitive variables from the questionnaire data for Sweeps 1-8. These are available under Secure Access SN 8656.   <br></li><li>National Pupil Database (NPD) linked data at Key Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5, England. These are available under SN 7104.</li><li>Linked Individualised Learner Records learner and learning aims datasets for academic years 2005 to 2014, England.  These are available under SN 8577.<br></li><li>detailed geographic indicators for Sweep 1 and Sweep 8 (2001 Census Boundaries) - available under SN 8189 and geographic indicators for Sweep 8 (2011 Census Boundaries) - available under SN 8190. The Sweep 1 geography file was previously held under SN 7104.</li><li>Linked Health Administrative Datasets (Hospital Episode Statistics) for years 1998-2017 held under SN 8681.</li><li>Linked Student Loans Company Records for years 2007-2021 held under SN 8848.</li></ul>When researchers are approved/accredited to access a Secure Access version of Next Steps, the End User Licence version of the study - Next Steps: Sweeps 1-8, 2004-2016 (SN 5545) - will be automatically provided alongside.<br><br>
<p>SN 5545 - <span style="font-style: italic;">Next Steps: Sweeps 1-8, 2004-2016</span> includes the main Next Steps survey data from Sweep 1 (age 14) to Sweep 8 (age 25).
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<br></p><p>For the sixteenth edition (August 2021) the following updates have been made:</p><ul><li>two new datasets have been added: 'Next_Steps_Activities_Longitudinal' and 'Next_Steps_Longitudinal_File'. Further information is available in the updated Age 25 Survey User Guide.</li><li>the income variable W8DINCW has been identified as incorrectly calculated and is now updated in data file 'NS8_2015_Derived'. Further information is available in the new documentation file 'next_steps_continuous_income_note_july_2021.pdf'.</li><li>three variables previously available in data file 'NS8_2015_Main_Interview' (W8NUMROOMS, W8JOBDOSOCCODE and W8MAKESICCODE,) have removed and are now available under Secure Access SN 8656. They have been replaced by truncated variables W8DNUMROOMS, W8SOC3 and W8SIC3.</li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">March 2024: removal of cases</span></p><p>An updated version of the data has been released, with data from 11 NSIDs removed at the depositor's request.</p>