Understanding Society User Support

Hello Laura

Many thanks for your enquiry. The Understanding Society team is looking into it and we will get back to you as soon as we can. We aim to respond to simple queries within 48 hours and more complex issues within 7 working days.

Best wishes,
Understanding Society User Support Team

Hello Laura,

Sample members are interviewed every year as long as they continue to live in the UK and can be located, contacted and agree to participate. Data collection or fieldwork stretches across 24 months but is across the first 12 months for the general population sample (GPS), and across the last 12 months for the immigrant and ethnic minority boost sample (IEMBS). While the survey fieldwork period is 24 months for GPS and EMBS samples, every individual is interviewed at approximately 12-month intervals. So, for any individual, their Wave 2 interview will be approximately one year after their Wave 1 interview, their Wave 3 interview will be around 2 years after their Wave 1 interview and so on.

In the table below, you can view the number of months that have passed between waves 11 and 12. If you account for a (+/-) 1 month interval (11 to 13 months), you will find that 83% of the matches fall within a 12-month period. If you require information specifically for the last 12 months, the percentage would be 57%. Therefore, the label may vary depending on the purpose for which you are using the variable.

Number of Months Freq. Percent Cum.
5 1 0 0
6 9 0.03 0.04
7 96 0.36 0.4
8 277 1.04 1.44
9 616 2.31 3.75
10 1,900 7.14 10.89
11 3,825 14.37 25.26
12 15,106 56.76 82.02
13 3,274 12.3 94.33
14 870 3.27 97.6
15 390 1.47 99.06
16 196 0.74 99.8
17 47 0.18 99.97
18 6 0.02 100
24 1 0 100

For further details regarding the survey timeline, please refer to the Study Overview section at https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/mainstage/user-guides/main-survey-user-guide/study-overview

Hope this helps
Best wishes
Roberto Cavazos
Understanding Society User Support Team

Hello Laura,

I have noticed that the table is not displaying properly. I have attached an Excel file containing the table for your reference.

Best wishes
Roberto Cavazos
Understanding Society User Support Team