Grundy, E., O'Reilly, D.P.J. & Boyle, P. (2009) Full Research Report, ESRC End of Award Report, RES-348-25-0013. Swindon: ESRC. [SLS][ONS LS][NILS]

Other information:
SLS project page
ONS LS project page
NILS project page

Extract:

In the UK there are currently three separate record linkage studies which include census and vital registration data covering England and Wales (the ONS LS), Scotland (Scottish LS) and Northern Ireland (NILS). They are managed in three separate statistical offices and the data are subject to confidentiality restrictions which means that they are not released to researchers’ desktops for analysis. To date there has been little thought about how integrated projects might be undertaken using these three studies. This is an important issue as there are significant demographic and health differences between these constituent parts of the UK which are under-explored. The overall aim of this project was to encourage and facilitate use of the ONS LS, SLS and NILS together by considering relevant practical, procedural and methodological issues that could undermine cross-study analysis and addressing and documenting difficulties and ways around them. To do this, an original research project was undertaken which drew on information from all three. This is an exemplar of how to undertake UK analyses of the three sources in combination and deal with the various statistical (different sampling fractions etc) procedural/technical (different variable names etc) and other challenges posed. ...

Available online: Full Research Report, ESRC End of Award Report, RES-348-25-0013.
Download output document: ESRC Report (PDF 189KB)
Output from project: 2008_009 (SLS), 30086 (ONS LS), 028 (NILS)