Understanding Society User Support

02/05/2026

03:27 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2322: inapplicable in fwintvd_dv

Hi Emily,
There is some discrepancy between these variables because the sources are different. bornuk_dv is derive... Understanding Society User Support Team

02:01 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2317: Variable for childless

Hi Charlie,
You can modify the code creating nchild_dv to include only relationship_dv==9 (see https://www.underst... Understanding Society User Support Team

01:48 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2327 (Feedback): Wealth Variable

Hi Sarah,
“Wealth” can mean different things (e.g., housing wealth/home value and mortgage balance, savings and in... Understanding Society User Support Team

01:28 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2326 (Feedback): jbnssec8_dv - Large employers & higher management and Higher professional

Hi Michael,
NS-SEC does distinguish between these two categories, but as subcategories (see page 13, Table 3 in th... Understanding Society User Support Team

02/04/2026

04:01 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2327 (Feedback): Wealth Variable

Hi, I am an undergraduate who is studying the impact of homeownership on wealth and I have been looking for the best ... Sarah Frost

12:48 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2326 (Feedback): jbnssec8_dv - Large employers & higher management and Higher professional

Hi Folks,
I am writing to ask if you could provide some information and examples of jobs for 'Large employers & hi... Michael Vallely

12:32 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2324: ukborn variable

Hi Piotr,
Apologies I can see wave o is actually present in my folder, it must be my code. Sorry for not checking!... emily naish

12:14 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2317: Variable for childless

Hiya Roberto,
This is very helpful. Are you also able to provide a suggestion on how to derive a variable that is ... Charlie McCurdy

01/30/2026

11:37 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2321: linking responsible adult to youth

Thank you so much for your help with this Piotr! this was incredible useful.
I have now merged youth from wave 13 w... Akansha Naraindas

01/29/2026

04:03 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2323: Question with regard to the variable nwage_dv

Great support, thanks a lot!
Best,
Nico Nico Ochmann

01:59 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2323 (Feedback): Question with regard to the variable nwage_dv

nwage_dv is just a household headcount, not an employment or income measure. It’s created from the individual-level a... Understanding Society User Support Team

02:06 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2320: Parliamentary Constituency Codes

Hi Stuart,
Wave 16 will use the May 2025 ONSPD. Since the Westminster parliamentary constituency (PCON) boundary c... Understanding Society User Support Team

01/28/2026

06:02 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2325: Joining and weighting youth, adults and households

Thanks very much for this. I looked through the previous queries and it seems that when a custom weight is not create... Akansha Naraindas

05:10 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2325 (In Progress): Joining and weighting youth, adults and households

Hi Akansha,
Please have a look at these past similar queries to see if these answer your question:
https://iser... Understanding Society User Support Team

01:33 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2325: Joining and weighting youth, adults and households

i now realise there arent any youth longitudinal weights, i do not think id have the capabilities to create my own we... Akansha Naraindas

12:01 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2325 (In Progress): Joining and weighting youth, adults and households

Hi,
I have a somewhat complex merge and would appreciate some guidance on weighting. My analysis examines how hous... Akansha Naraindas

04:32 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2323: Question with regard to the variable nwage_dv

Both!
Thanks Piotr for your reply and help.
Best,
Nico Nico Ochmann

04:01 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2323: Question with regard to the variable nwage_dv

Hi Nico,
I want to double-check if I correctly understand your question. Are you surprised by the number of househ... Understanding Society User Support Team

03:39 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2324: ukborn variable

Hi Emily,
Below a comparison of the 2024 release of SN6614 and 2025 downloaded yesterday using dta (Stata) files. ... Understanding Society User Support Team

10:48 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2324: ukborn variable

Hi Piotr,
Before I logged this question, I had redownloaded the dataset from data service and it still gave me the... emily naish

03:06 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2321: linking responsible adult to youth

Hi Akansha,
I see. Adresp15_dv give you the person number of person responsible for child under 16, that is, their... Understanding Society User Support Team

10:57 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2322: inapplicable in fwintvd_dv

Hi Piotr,
Thank you, I will exclude these people.
Sorry I should've given more details...Using both the *ukborn... emily naish

10:02 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2306: hstotmg outstanding or total mortgage secured?

Hi Piotr,
Thanks very much. That's really helpful.
Best wishes,
Selçuk Selcuk Beduk

01/27/2026

05:27 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2321: linking responsible adult to youth

Thanks for this! My issue is that i want to use the https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/innovation-p... Akansha Naraindas

04:32 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2321 (Feedback): linking responsible adult to youth

Hi Akansha,
To link youth to themselves across waves, use their PIDP. To link to their parents, the easiest way is... Understanding Society User Support Team

04:51 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2306: hstotmg outstanding or total mortgage secured?

Hi Selçuk,
I'm sorry for the delay in replying to you. The reply from the questionnaire team:
"Yes, it’s the cu... Understanding Society User Support Team

04:46 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2324 (Feedback): ukborn variable

Hi Emily,
The numbers in the latest wave files should align with the numbers on the website. From what I can see, ... Understanding Society User Support Team

04:37 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #1874: Issue with religion variable in wave 12

Hi Ekaterina,
We will investigate this and get back to you.
Best wishes,
Piotr Marzec
UKHLS User Support Understanding Society User Support Team

04:23 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2322 (Feedback): inapplicable in fwintvd_dv

Hi Emily,
fwintvd_dv is derived from the wave-level individual interview outcome variable (w_ivfio), taking the fi... Understanding Society User Support Team

04:17 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2320: Parliamentary Constituency Codes

Thank you for this update. Is there any way of knowing when the updated boundaries will be incorporated into this dat... Stuart Fox

03:30 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2320 (Feedback): Parliamentary Constituency Codes

Hi Stuart,
In Wave 15, the May 2024 release of ONSPD was used (see https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/wp-conte... Understanding Society User Support Team

01/26/2026

05:33 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2324 (Feedback): ukborn variable

Hi,
Sorry if this is a silly question, I'm still getting to grips with the dataset and coding with R. I just redow... emily naish

05:06 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2323 (Feedback): Question with regard to the variable nwage_dv

Dear Understanding Society Team,
I am working with household level income data and I would like to adjust that da... Nico Ochmann

03:45 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2322 (Feedback): inapplicable in fwintvd_dv

Hi,
For this row in fwintvd_dv:
inapplicable -8 39856 23.67%
Are these all participants that were enrolled ... emily naish

03:18 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2321 (Feedback): linking responsible adult to youth

Hi,
I am linking youth data from Wave 13 to Wave 15 and would also like to link each young person to their Wave 13... Akansha Naraindas

01:20 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2320 (Feedback): Parliamentary Constituency Codes

I have accessed the latest version of the Parliamentary Constituency file, and noticed that the constituencies are id... Stuart Fox

12:40 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #1874: Issue with religion variable in wave 12

Thanks for the update.
I can still see this as an issue in Wave 12 though. This will not be addressed, will it? For ... Ekaterina Kolpinskaya

09:44 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2307: Questions about 'pensioner_dv' and 'pensioner'

Hello Bingqing,
As a follow-up to my previous response, both variables are calculated using government-defined rul... Understanding Society User Support Team

01/23/2026

09:22 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #1874 (Feedback): Issue with religion variable in wave 12

Hello Katya,
This issue was addressed and fixed in the Wave 13 release (November 2023) and has not appeared again si... Understanding Society User Support Team

01:10 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #1874: Issue with religion variable in wave 12

Good afternoon!
I am now in the same boat as Laurence was a few years ago, as per the original inquiry. The issue ... Ekaterina Kolpinskaya

05:40 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2319: Net Household Income Data in the BHPS and UKHLS

Hi Roberto,
Thanks for your reply.
I think looking at the link that hhneti is weekly household data, so that's ... Nico Ochmann

01:21 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2319 (Feedback): Net Household Income Data in the BHPS and UKHLS

Hello Nico,
If net income is not essential, note that there is a gross household income variable harmonised across... Understanding Society User Support Team

12:12 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2317 (Feedback): Variable for childless

Hello Charlie,
You might want to check variable ch1by_dv, which measures the birth year of the first (biological) ... Understanding Society User Support Team

01/22/2026

12:46 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2319 (Feedback): Net Household Income Data in the BHPS and UKHLS

Dear Understanding Society Team,
I am trying to get a hold of a net hh income variable for both datasets, and I f... Nico Ochmann

12:05 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2318 (Feedback): Missing variables in data set

Hello Marie,
The dataset you need is SN6614: Understanding Society – Waves 1–15 (2009–2024) and Harmonised BHPS – ... Understanding Society User Support Team

01/21/2026

03:55 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2318 (Feedback): Missing variables in data set

Hi. I am working on my undergrad dissertation and I was planning on using the Understanding Society Wave 2 data set b... Marie Moller

03:10 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2313 (Feedback): Wave 14 changes: age_dv and indscg2_xw

Hello Nina,
In general, new wave releases may include updates to earlier waves, such as the addition or removal of... Understanding Society User Support Team

10:58 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2074 (Resolved): Longitudinal weights

Understanding Society User Support Team

10:56 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2316 (Feedback): Removal of Variables from Mainstage Variable Search

Hello Joe
I can confirm variables voteintent (voting intention) and vote7 (voted in last general election) are sti... Understanding Society User Support Team

10:37 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2317 (Feedback): Variable for childless

Hiya,
I'd like to generate a variable that is whether or not an individual is childless (or has had a child) ideal... Charlie McCurdy

01/19/2026

09:56 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2313 (In Progress): Wave 14 changes: age_dv and indscg2_xw

Hello Nina,
We are still doing some checks on your query and expect to be able to provide you with an answer later... Understanding Society User Support Team

03:23 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2316 (Feedback): Removal of Variables from Mainstage Variable Search

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am coming back to a dissertation I wrote a few years ago in the hope to rewrite it for publicati... Joe Mattock

03:18 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2074: Longitudinal weights

Hi Olena, coming back to this after some time. Feel free to mark this issue as resolved.
Thanks, Joe.
Joe Mattock

12:48 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2315 (Feedback): Basrate / payu - hourly pay

Hello Eleanor,
basrate is a direct question from the Employees module questionnaire and is asked of respondents wh... Understanding Society User Support Team

01/18/2026

09:50 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2315 (Feedback): Basrate / payu - hourly pay

Hello,
I am trying to investigate hourly pay differences. I wanted to use basrate. However, the min and max look w... Eleanor Keeble

01/15/2026

04:14 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2312: hrpid variable

Thank you Roberto.
Best wishes,
Monica Monica Hernandez

12:54 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2312: hrpid variable

Hello Monica,
The variable hrpno also has issues, so I would recommend not using it for the time being.
Best wi... Understanding Society User Support Team

12:12 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2248: Some queries r.e. issues with SOC 2000 and 2010 variables

Hello Tom,
It was not possible to include the changes in this release. Work on them is ongoing, and the current ai... Understanding Society User Support Team

11:53 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2314 (Feedback): Wave 6 weight selection

Hello Nina,
Both options are correct, and the choice depends on which sample you want to represent. Weights ending... Understanding Society User Support Team

10:08 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #1941 (Feedback): Employee (jbpen + jbpenm) and personal (ppen + ppreg) pensions in Understanding Society - query re. some wave data

Hello Thomas,
The variable ppen is part of the Personal Pensions module questionnaire. This module was asked in th... Understanding Society User Support Team

01/14/2026

04:48 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2314 (Feedback): Wave 6 weight selection

Hello,
This document sets out "adult main interview" and "adult main and proxy interview" cross-sectional weights ... Nina Lutz

04:47 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2313 (Feedback): Wave 14 changes: age_dv and indscg2_xw

Hello data team, 
Thank you for your brilliant work on the Understanding Society dataset. It is an incredible reso... Nina Lutz

02:23 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2312: hrpid variable

Understanding Society User Support Team wrote in #note-1:
> Hello Monica,
>
> I can confirm that the variable hr... Monica Hernandez

11:31 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2312: hrpid variable

Thank you very much Roberto, that's very helpful.
Kind regards,
Monica Monica Hernandez

10:52 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2312 (Feedback): hrpid variable

Hello Monica,
I can confirm that the variable hrpid was removed from the different files because it was incorrectl... Understanding Society User Support Team

09:37 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2312 (Feedback): hrpid variable

Hi,
I am having trouble locating the hrpid variable in the hhresp data file in the latest release of the data. The... Monica Hernandez

01:04 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #1941: Employee (jbpen + jbpenm) and personal (ppen + ppreg) pensions in Understanding Society - query re. some wave data

Hi,
Sorry to reopen this chat but I'm updating some of my work and wanted to check re the ppen variable, as I noti... Thomas Stephens

01/13/2026

02:52 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2248: Some queries r.e. issues with SOC 2000 and 2010 variables

Dear Roberto, all,
Hope all is well. Now the new wave is out (as of December) I just wanted to get an update on wh... Thomas Stephens

01/12/2026

03:43 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2311 (Feedback): Food Insecurity Experience Scale scoring

Hello Akansha,
Understanding Society includes all eight items of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES): ateles... Understanding Society User Support Team

10:49 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2311 (Feedback): Food Insecurity Experience Scale scoring

Hi,
I am trying to understand the best way to score the 8-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale used in the Under... Akansha Naraindas

01/09/2026

04:20 PM Understanding Society User Support Support #2310 (Feedback): Why cannot merge indall datasets with hhresp datasets on 2000-3000 obs?

Hello Bing,
Individuals who do not match a household are those who did not respond to a household questionnaire an... Understanding Society User Support Team

11:15 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2309 (Feedback): Are samples in indresp datasets nationally representative?

Hello Bing,

As you correctly mentioned, indall contains information for all individuals in the household, includi... Understanding Society User Support Team

10:27 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2308 (Feedback): Choose a correct weight for analysis

Hello Bing,
As the user guide mentioned (https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/mainstage/user-guide... Understanding Society User Support Team

08:27 AM Understanding Society User Support Support #2307 (Feedback): Questions about 'pensioner_dv' and 'pensioner'

Hello Bingqing,
The variables pensioner_dv and pensioner produce different information mainly because *_dv variabl... Understanding Society User Support Team