Cite the data

All works which use or refer to these materials should acknowledge these sources by means of bibliographic citation. To ensure that such source attributions are captured for bibliographic indexes, citations must appear in footnotes or in the reference section of publications.

If you use Understanding Society data you must cite it.

Please cite every dataset that you use.

The following citations are the the EUL version of the key datasets only, all others can be found on the relevant catalogue pages on the UK Data Service website.  

The bibliographic citation for the Understanding Society Mainstage data collection is:

@misc{ukhls6614,
    author = {University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research},
    title = {Understanding Society: Waves 1-14, 2009-2023 and Harmonised BHPS: Waves 1-18, 1991-2009},
    year = {2024},
    note = {19th Edition},
    howpublished = {DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-6614-20}
    }

Citations for older released versions of these data are available on the UK Data Service website. 

The bibliographic citation for the Understanding Society Innovation Panel data collection is:

@misc{ukhls6849,
    author = {University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research},
    title = {Understanding Society: Innovation Panel, Waves 1-17, 2008-2024},
    year = {2025},
    note = {14th Edition},
    howpublished = {DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-6849-17}
    }

Citations for older released versions of IP data are available on the UK Data Service website.

The bibliographic citation for the Understanding Society Nurse Health Assessment data collection is:

@misc{ukhls7251,
    author = {University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research and National Centre for Social Research},
    title = {Understanding Society: Waves 2 and 3 Nurse Health Assessment, 2010- 2012},
    year = {2025},
    note = {6th Edition},
    howpublished = {DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-7251-6}
    }

Citations for older released versions of Nurse Health Assessment data are available on the UK Data Service website.

The bibliographic citation for the Understanding Society COVID-19 data is:

@misc{ukhls8644,
    author = {University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research},
    title = {Understanding Society: COVID-19 Study, 2020-2021},
    year = {2021},
    note = {11th Edition},
    howpublished = {DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-8644-11}
    }

Citations for older released versions of COVID-19 data are available on the UK Data Service website.

The bibliographic citation for the Understanding Society Calendar Year 2023 data is:

@misc{ukhls9471,
    author = {University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research},
    title = {Understanding Society: Calendar Year Dataset, 2023},
    year = {2025},
    note = {},
    howpublished = {DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-9471-1}
    }

The bibliographic citation for the Understanding Society Calendar Year 2022 data is:

@misc{ukhls9333,
    author = {University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research},
    title = {Understanding Society: Calendar Year Dataset, 2022},
    year = {2024},
    note = {},
    howpublished = {DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-9333-1}
    }

The bibliographic citation for the Understanding Society Calendar Year 2021 data is:

@misc{ukhls9193,
    author = {University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research},
    title = {Understanding Society: Calendar Year Dataset, 2021},
    year = {2024},
    note = {},
    howpublished = {DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-9193-1}
    }

The bibliographic citation for the Understanding Society Calendar Year 2020 data is:

@misc{ukhls8988,
    author = {University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research},
    title = {Understanding Society: Calendar Year Dataset, 2020},
    year = {2022},
    note = {},
    howpublished = {DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-8988-1}
    }

Citations for older released versions of the Calendar Year data are available on the UK Data Service website.

Acknowledgements:

AcknowledgementUnderstanding Society is an initiative funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and various Government Departments, with scientific leadership by the Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, and survey delivery by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and Verian (formerly Kantar Public). The research data are distributed by the UK Data Service.Copy

AcknowledgementWave 2/3 Nurse assessment interviews were conducted by Natcen. The initial 21 blood analytes were produced by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust and subsequently Royal Free Foundation NHS Trust produced 5 further measures. Genotyping was conducted by the Sanger Institute using the Illumina core and exome chip who also imputed data to the UK10k reference dataset. DNA methylation was assessed using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylationEPIC BeadChip by the University of Exeter. Proteins were measured by Olink® using the Olink® Target 96 Cardiometabolic and Neurology panels. IP12 dried blood spot analysis was undertaken by MRC Epidemiology Unit Biorepository, Cambridge and hair analysis by Dresden Lab Service, Dresden Germany.Copy

AcknowledgementThe Understanding Society COVID-19 study (2020-2021) was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Health Foundation. Serology testing was funded by the COVID-19 Longitudinal Health and Wealth – National Core Study, and carried out by Thriva. Fieldwork for the web survey was carried out by Ipsos MORI and for the telephone survey by Kantar Public (now Verian).Copy

Ethical approval statement:

Ethical ApprovalThe University of Essex Ethics Committee has approved all data collection on Understanding Society main study, COVID-19 surveys and innovation panel waves, including asking consent for all data linkages except to health records. Requesting consent for health record linkage was approved at Wave 1 by the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) Oxfordshire REC A (08/H0604/124), at BHPS Wave 18 by the NRES Royal Free Hospital & Medical School (08/H0720/60) and at Wave 4 by NRES Southampton REC A (11/SC/0274). Approval for asking consent for health record linkage and for the collection of blood and subsequent serology testing in the March 2021 wave of the COVID-19 study was obtained from London – City & East Research Ethics Committee (21/HRA/0644). Approval for the collection of biosocial data by trained nurses in Waves 2 and 3 of the main survey was obtained from the National Research Ethics Service (Understanding Society – UK Household Longitudinal Study: A Biosocial Component, Oxfordshire A REC, Reference: 10/H0604/2). The biosocial data collection at IP12 ‘Understanding Society Health Innovation Panel: Biomeasure and health data collection from the Innovation Panel of the UK Household Longitudinal Study’ was approved by East of England – Essex Research Ethics Committee, Ref 19/EE/0146.Copy