CLOSER Discovery

The age 55 survey ran from September 2013-March 2014. Data collection involved a sequential mixed mode approach whereby cohort members were invited to complete a web survey and those not responding were invited to participate via telephone. More than 9,100 cohort members took part in total, with sixty six per cent doing so online.

This was the first time that web-based data collection had been used on any of the birth cohort studies run by CLS. The survey needed to collect complex data and as such, much work was put in to ensuring that it was easy for cohort members to navigate and provide accurate responses. In particular, an interactive visual calendar was developed to aid the collection of 'event histories'.

Study website: www.cls.ucl.ac.uk/cls-studies/1958-national-child-development-study/ncds-age-55-sweep