Marking the Census 2021 linkage to the ONS Longitudinal Study

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) hosted a special event on 15 October at the Churchill War Rooms in London to mark the Census 2021 linkage to the ONS Longitudinal Study.

The event brought together staff from UK Government departments, national statistical offices, the Longitudinal Study (LS) user support teams, and both experienced and new LS users. The programme featured talks on topics ranging from migrant health and geography to social mobility and data access, highlighting the breadth of research made possible through the UK’s longitudinal study infrastructure.

Among the invited speakers was CPC-CG member Professor Ann Berrington, who presented 'Understanding fertility trends using Census-Linked Longitudinal Studies'.

In her talk, Professor Berrington discussed the unique ability of these census-linked administrative data to provide a detailed understanding of why fertility rates rose in the first decade of this century before declining rapidly. She also described findings from the 'Understanding and projecting fertility trends' project, and on the challenges of accessing census-linked administrative data from the different trusted research environments at the Office for National Statistics, National Records for Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

The day also included keynote addresses from a representative of the National Statistician and from Professor Alison Park, Deputy Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council, who emphasised the importance of the UK’s census-linked longitudinal studies for evidence-based policy and social research.

Find out more about the ONS Longitudinal Study.

Read about the ONS's design and plans for Census 2021 Data Asset longitudinal data source for population in England and Wales.

Posted 17/10/2025 08:36