The Age 23 Survey is getting underway. Here you’ll find the answers to some of the questions you may have about this survey.
Some of you took part in our online surveys during the COVID-19 pandemic (thank you so much!), but the Age 23 Survey will be our first big catch up with you now you’re into your adult lives.
The early twenties are a time when many people start taking key life decisions around things like jobs, housing, and relationships.
You are at this important stage of your lives in the wake of the pandemic, in the midst of a cost of living crisis and against the backdrop of other world-changing events. This has undoubtedly presented unique challenges for your generation. We really need to hear how you’re getting on in the face of this.
Taking part in the Age 23 Survey is a chance to help ensure CNC can represent your generation and inform the services and policies that will support your generation to navigate the changing world and improve the lives of some of those most at risk in society. Lots of people enjoy taking part and find it’s an interesting opportunity to think about and answer questions about their life.
The Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) at the UCL Social Research Institute, a department of University College London (UCL) runs the study. CLS is the UK’s leading research centre for birth cohort studies and also runs other national studies of people born in 1958, 1970 and 1990.
An independent research organisation called Ipsos is working with us on this survey. Ipsos has a team of trained interviewers and also carried out the interviews for the Age 11, 14 and 17 Surveys. Ipsos must follow the rules of the Market Research Society Code of Conduct.
The Age 23 Survey is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and a range of UK government departments.
The information you give us will be used for research purposes only. Names and addresses will be kept separate from all of the other information collected and are never revealed without your permission. This means that responses to our questions can never be identified. See our privacy pages for more information childnc.net/privacy.
The survey will ask you about all different aspects of your life, including your family and relationships, housing, employment and income, education, health and wellbeing, identity and opinions.
During the survey you will also have an opportunity to play two interactive games which will help us understand how you think.
We will also ask your permission to add some information that government departments hold about you to your survey answers. We won’t ask for this if you already gave your permission at the last CNC survey. This will give us an even fuller picture of your lives and make the study even more valuable for research.
If you have any children, there will be some questions about how they’re doing, and the kinds of things you do together. We’ll also ask your permission to add some information about them from records held by government departments.
If you live with a partner, we will ask you a few questions about them, and we’d also like to ask them some questions about themselves directly. If you are happy for us to do so, we’ll ask them to complete a short online survey which will take about 15 minutes.
To thank you for taking part in the Age 23 Survey, we will send you a £30 voucher which you can spend in a wide variety of shops, either online or in stores.
If your partner completes their short survey, they will receive a £10 voucher to say thanks.
The survey should take about an hour to complete, but it can be slightly quicker or longer depending on your circumstances and whether you choose to do it online or would rather an interviewer comes to visit you. Remember, you can skip any questions or part of the survey you don’t want to answer. It’s up to you.
Taking part is completely up to you. Many people find it enjoyable and interesting to answer questions about and to reflect on their life. You can skip any questions that you don’t want to answer, or things you don’t want to do. It’s up to you.
By taking part at age 23, you are helping us build a complete picture of your lives as individuals and of your generation as whole. CNC has already made a difference in a variety of ways. A few examples are: by supporting children who witness domestic violence; by helping make young people’s mental health a top priority, supporting patients at risk of developing long Covid and raising awareness of risky behaviours.
For those of you who have children, they’ll be a big and important part of your lives. Some of CNC’s most important findings have been about child development and parenthood so learning about your own children will help us look at the next generation.
Living with a partner can have a big impact on several areas of your lives, including finances, share of domestic responsibilities and wellbeing. By capturing some information about your live-in partner, we can learn about the different types of relationships people your age are in, and the ways in which they shape your life.
All interviewers who work for Ipsos carry an identity card. Interviewers will have a copy of the booklets and letters that were sent to you in advance. You can verify the identity of your interviewer by calling Ipsos, on Freephone 0800 014 9462
If you need to rearrange your appointment, please call the interviewer directly if you have their telephone number. If you don’t, you can call or email Ipsos on Freephone 0800 014 9462 or childnc@ipsos.com.
If you requested an electronic voucher, you will be sent this by email. The email will be sent from childnc@ipsos.com. You will receive your voucher around a week after completing your interview. The email will include details of how to redeem the voucher.
If you were provided with a physical gift card by your interviewer, this will be activated within a week of your interview.
If you have any questions about your voucher please email childnc@ipsos.com or call using Freephone 0800 014 9462.
