Comparability with other studies

Many of the topics covered in Understanding Society are also covered in other UK surveys, both one-off surveys and longitudinal surveys, which allow researchers to analyse some aspects of people’s lives perhaps more closely (while not allowing examination of other aspects). 

To facilitate comparability and cross-examination of findings across national surveys, the Understanding Society survey, where appropriate, will carry harmonised questions such as suggested by the Office for National Statistics. Comparability with national surveys such as the ONS Integrated Household Survey, the Families and Children Study, and the Labour Force Survey, to name just a few, is taken into consideration. Priority was also given to achieving continuity with measurements established in the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), since the BHPS sample will become incorporated into the Understanding Society sample at the second round of interviews. 

To facilitate cross-national comparative research, a number of questions carried on Understanding Society questionnaires are internationally harmonised and carried on panels in other countries.