The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) is a unique and rich resource of information on the dynamics of health, social, wellbeing and economic circumstances in the English population aged 50 and older.

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The original sample was drawn from households that had previously responded to the Health Survey for England (HSE) between 1998 and 2001. A pilot study was conducted in 2001 before main fieldwork began in March 2002. The same group of respondents have been interviewed at two-yearly interviews, known as ‘waves’, to measure changes in their health, economic and social circumstances. Younger age groups are replaced or refreshed to retain the panel. The sample has been refreshed using HSE participants in waves 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10. 

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Although new topics can be introduced at different waves, every module has been reviewed to ensure that it will provide data that can measure change over time. This is achieved by repeating some measures exactly, by asking directly about change, and by adopting questions to allow people to update or amend past responses.

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The information collected provides data about:
 

• Household and individual demographics

• Health – physical and psychosocial

• Social care (from Wave 6)

• Work and pensions

• Income and assets

• Housing

• Cognitive function

• Social participation

• Effort and Reward (voluntary work and caring)

• Expectations

• Walking speed

• Weight

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In addition, certain waves contain one-off modules and questions.

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Download a tabular overview of the topics included on ELSA until Wave 10.

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Sample design

 

The ELSA sample has been designed to represent people aged 50 and over, living in private households in England. The sample is based on respondents who participated in the Health Survey for England (HSE). The original sample was selected from three years of HSE: 1998, 1999 and 2001. These years were chosen because they were recent and could provide a sufficiently large sample size. ELSA used the core samples for these years, all of which were nationally representative.

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The HSE 1999 sample design also included a boost sample that represented ethnic minorities. Because of funding constraints, it was not possible to follow-up the boost sample and it was discarded. Together these three HSE years contained 23,132 responding households.

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Households were removed from the HSE sampling frame for ELSA Wave 1 if it was known that there was no adult of 50 years or older in the household who had agreed to be re-contacted at some time in the future. Individuals in the remaining households provided the basis for the ELSA Wave 1 sample (11,578 households containing 18,813 eligible individuals).

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Download the Wave 1 technical report for more information.

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Refreshment samples

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The Wave 1 original sample was drawn from HSE respondents aged 50+ on the 1st March 2002. As ELSA is a study of those aged 50+, it needs to be periodically refreshed with additional sample members aged from 50. Subsequent refreshment samples were drawn from other HSE years with differing age criteria to correct the age profile of the resulting cohort.

 

The ELSA sample has been refreshed several times now, at waves 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10. When a refreshment sample is drawn, households from HSE are selected for ELSA if at least one HSE interview was conducted with an age eligible respondent who agreed to be re-contacted. Each refreshment sample added then becomes part of the cohort issued again at subsequent waves.

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Download the Wave 1 technical report for more information.

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Data collection

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To enable longitudinal analysis, the same key topics are included in the content of the questionnaire for each wave, while others may be rotated on and off.

 

The nurse interview involves measurements of physical function, anthropometric measurements and collection of blood samples (for extraction of biomarkers and DNA). To view which basic topics are asked at individual waves please click here.

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ELSA is a memeber of CLOSER, the home of longitudinal research.

 

CLOSER is the interdisciplinary partnership of leading social and biomedical longitudinal population studies, the UK Data Service and The British Library. We are based at the UCL Social Research Institute (SRI).

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Their mission is to increase the visibility, use and impact of longitudinal population studies, data and research to ensure that longitudinal evidence is used to address the health, social, economic and environmental challenges facing the UK, now and in the future.

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​CLOSER's work focuses on four primary areas:

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Data discoverability: CLOSER increase the use, visibility, and awareness of longitudinal population study data through advancing and expanding both the content contained in, and the research services provided by, CLOSER Discovery.

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Policy and Dialogue: CLOSER mobilise data and research from multiple longitudinal population studies, provide evidence and insights to policy and decision makers, and generate demonstrable impact across a range of policy areas.

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Training and capacity building: CLOSER provide training and capacity building opportunities for researchers and those running longitudinal population studies, with a particular focus on filling gaps in current provision.

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Data innovations: CLOSER ensure the long-term value of our extensive work on data harmonisation and data linkage through knowledge dissemination and training. 

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For more information, visit the CLOSER website: https://closer.ac.uk/

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