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The UK Household Longitudinal Study

Capturing life in the UK in the 21st century Understanding Society is the largest longitudinal household panel study of its kind and provides vital evidence on life changes and stability

Christmas Closure

The Understanding Society office is closed for the Christmas period between 24 December and 5 January.

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A family celebrating

Understanding Society Wave 15

The latest wave of UKHLS is now available from the UK Data Service

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Ariel view of a UK town

Understanding Society Wave 15 – what can data users expect?

The latest wave of data is out, so what’s included and what’s changed in this release?

Case study
Sushi Rolls not Gender Roles by Jeanne Menjoulet

Understanding Society used for Gender Equality Index

New tool measures men’s and women’s socioeconomic outcomes across UK

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Photo of talk at an Understanding Society conference

Understanding Society Biosocial Conference 2026: combining biological and social data

A call for abstracts is now open - present your research at our Biosocial Conference

Topics

Latest research

Adolescent social capital as a source of resilience against emotional and behavioural difficulties in times of crisis: longitudinal evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

  1. James Laurence
  2. Bill Calvey

The impact of migration background and ethnicity on car, bus and bicycle use in England

  1. Janina Welsch
  2. Giulio Mattioli

Gendered impacts of precarious employment on mental health: UK longitudinal data

  1. L. Tanzini
  2. M. Julià

Spatial immobility and the dynamics of loneliness, social capital, and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

  1. James Laurence
See all research

Understanding Society in the media

Research using data from the Study is frequently featured in the media.

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Media mentions
Latest media articles
Pets increase life satisfaction as much as marriage or close friendships
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AI links early life risks to behavioral challenges at age five
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Mothers ‘take a pay cut’ if their firstborn is a daughter
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