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Data structure

Multiple files are released for each wave of the Innovation Panel.

This table summarises the general content and level of data files. The questionnaire data, sample information, and paradata files are released in each wave. The Life History files exist only for some waves. The table below summarises which units are contained in the file, which instrument the data are from, and points to key variables useful in linking data files for analysis. Variants in files released are summarised on the Additional data files page.

List of data files released in most waves of the Innovation Panel

Data fileDescription of unitsSource of dataUnique identifiers*
Questionnaire data
INDALLall enumerated persons at respondent householdshousehold grid modulew_hidp, w_pno, pidp
EGOALTderived file containing one record for each pair of enumerated individuals within each householdderived from household grid modulew_hidp, w_epno, w_apno, pidp, w_apidp
HHRESPrespondent householdshousehold questionnairew_hidp
INDRESPRespondent individuals, including proxy interviews (w_ivfio=2)individual questionnaire including self-completionw_hidp, w_pno, pidp
CHILDCAREa record for each child receiving childcarechildcare module in individual questionnairew_childpno, w_hidp, w_pno, pidp
INCOMEa record for each income source reported by an individualhousehold finance module in individual questionnairew_hidp, w_pno, w_ficode
YOUTHyouth respondents (10-15 years old)youth self-completion questionnairew_hidp, w_pno, pidp
Retrospective data from Life History modules (RELEASED ONLY IN SOME WAVES)
ADOPTa record for each adopted or step-childfertility history module in individual questionnairew_adoptno, w_hidp, w_pno, pidp
COHABa record for each cohabitation spell outside of legal marriage except those that preceded marriagepartnership history module in individual questionnairew_cohabno, w_hidp, w_pno, pidp
MARRIAGEa record for each reported legal marriage – from PARTNERSHIPHISTORY modulepartnership history module in individual questionnairew_marno, w_hidp, w_pno, pidp
NATCHILDa record for each biological childfertility history module in individual questionnairew_childno, w_hidp, w_pno, pidp
NEWBORNa record for each child born since previous interviewnewborn module in individual questionnairew_childno, w_hidp, w_pno, pidp
Sample information
INDSAMPa file with every person enumerated at the current or previous waveif a household has split then there are two observations for each person: one with the identification number (w_hidp) for the original household and the individual interview outcome (w_ivfio) indicating that the individual has moved, and one with the individual interview outcome and identification number for the new householdw_hidp, w_pno, pidp
ISSUEhouseholds issued to the interviewersfieldwork informationw_hidp, w_issue
HHSAMPall sampled addresses, includes experimental allocations (variables with prefix “w_ff_”)sampling information, response status, non-respondent household characteristicsw_hidp
Paradata, information about the collection of data 
CALLRECa record for each visit made by interviewers to attempt to interview the householdinformation about date, time and status of each visitw_hidp, w_issueno, w_int_num, w_callno
PTIMINGS^respondents to individual adult questionnaireamount of time for individual interview modules; for web interviews (waves 5, 6) the timings are per screenpidp
HTIMINGS^households who responded to household questionnaireamount of time for household interviewsw_hidp
*w_ is a placeholder for the wave prefix (a_ for Wave 1, b_ for wave 2 etc). ^ from Wave 7 onwards timings data are released in CSV files due to the variable naming structure.

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