How will the sample design affect my analysis? What should I do?

Please see the weighting guidance section of the main study user guide.

What else is Understanding Society doing?

New briefing note: Growth with purpose

Understanding Society outlines policy ideas for productivity and fairness.

03 Mar 2026

Image of the front cover of Insights - Barriers to Opportunity

Barriers to Opportunity report published

The new Insights report sifts through the latest evidence on how children and young people are doing, and the factors influencing their life chances

26 Feb 2026

Children’s Society: young people’s wellbeing significantly lower

Children’s Society outlines significant decline in children’s happiness with their life as a whole

25 Feb 2026

Links between disability and smoking

Smoking rates have been falling for decades, but tobacco is still a major cause of illness and premature death – and different groups in society remain persistent smokers

23 Feb 2026

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ESRC Institute for Social and Economic Research University of Essex

The Economic and Social Research Council is the primary funder of the study
The Study is led by a team at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex.

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