Understanding Society

Summary

In September 2001 fieldwork on the Northern Ireland Household Panel Survey commenced. The same representative sample of individuals were interviewed on an annual basis for eight years. The survey proved a rich source of data as it tracked the movement within societies of individuals and families to reveal changing social patterns in areas such as social mobility, wealth and poverty and health. ARK, a joint resource between the two universities in Northern Ireland, took on the role of analysing the data. More information on the Northern Ireland Household Panel Survey can be found at http://www.ark.ac.uk/nihps/

In 2009 the survey was extended and rebranded as Understanding Society. Understanding Society is a world leading study of the socio-economic circumstances and attitudes of 100,000 individuals in 40,000 UK households (the Northern Ireland part of the sample is 2,500 households). Understanding Society allows for deeper analysis of a wide range of sections of the population as they respond to regional, national and international change. Understanding Society will greatly enhance our insight into the pathways that influence peoples longer term occupational trajectories; their health and well-being, their financial circumstances and personal relationships.

Central Survey Unit of NISRA is responsible for the Northern Ireland fieldwork and we are following approximately 2,500 households year by year and asking them questions about a wide spectrum of areas relating to their working and personal lives. Understanding Society tells us about:

• People's state of health
• Our experiences of crime
• Personal finances
• Bringing up children
• How involved we are in our local community
• Our working lives
• Our views and outlook, including about the political system

The power of the survey lies in the links we can make about different aspects of people's lives. These links allow us to understand the life journey that people take, whether it be why some people get to university whilst others ended up in poverty in old age. We catch major trends and have an understanding of why major changes in the way that we all live and work take place.