Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Growing Up in Scotland (GUS) study is a large-scale longitudinal social survey which follows the lives of several groups of Scottish children from infancy through childhood and adolescence, and aims to provide important new information on children and their families in Scotland. The study forms a central part of the Scottish Government's strategy for the long-term monitoring and evaluation of its policies for children, with a specific focus on the early years. Unlike other similar cohort studies, this survey has a specifically Scottish focus. A key objective of GUS is to address a significant gap in the evidence base for early years policy monitoring and evaluation. The study seeks both to describe the characteristics, circumstances and experiences of children in their early years (and their parents) in Scotland and, through its longitudinal design, to generate a better understanding of how children's start in life can shape their longer term prospects and development.Since 2005, study design and data collection have been undertaken by ScotCen Social Research with collaborations with the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, based at the University of Edinburgh and the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit over certain periods of the project. The survey design consisted of recruiting an initial total of 8,000 parents in 2005, comprising two cohorts of children (5,000 from birth, 3,000 from age two years and ten months), and then interviewing parents annually until their child reached age five years ten months. Further fieldwork was undertaken with the birth cohort when the children were around eight, ten, twelve and fourteen years old. A boost sample of 500 children from predominantly high deprivation areas was added to the cohort as part of the age 12 fieldwork.Data is collected via an in-home, face-to-face interview with self-complete sections. Fieldwork for sweep 10 was disrupted due to the COVID pandemic. As a result, the final portion of the data was collected via web and telephone questionnaires.Special Licence data:The main survey data are available under Special Licence:SN 5760 - Growing Up in Scotland: Cohort 1SN 7432 - Growing Up in Scotland: Cohort 2SN 8366 - Growing Up in Scotland: Cohort 1, Primary 6 Teacher SurveySecure Access Geographic Data:Geographic data are available under Secure Access and are separated by cohort, sweep and type of geographic variable. Information is available on the GUS Access Data web page. Users must also include the main Growing Up in Scotland Special Licence data in the Accredited Researcher Proposal form and add it to their projects (please note there is no need for Secure Access users to complete a separate Special Licence application).Secure Access Early Learning and Childcare Administrative Data:Care Inspectorate quality information on the settings which provided children in Birth Cohort 1 and Birth Cohort 2 with their state-funded early learning and childcare (pre-school) entitlement when they were aged between 3 and 5 years old is available under SN 8543 (Birth Cohort 1) and SN 8544 (Birth Cohort 2).
SN 8535 - Growing Up in Scotland: Cohort 1, Sweep 9, Geography Data, Intermediate Geography and Local Authority, 2017-2018: Secure AccessThis study contains an Intermediate Zone variable and a Local Authority District / Unitary Authority variable for GUS Cohort 1, Sweep 9. An archive serial number variable is also included for matching to the main data files. These data have more restrictive access conditions than those available under Special Licence (see 'Access' section).
Main Topics:
This study includes the following variables: Archive serial numberIntermediate zoneLocal Authority District / Unitary Authority
No sampling (total universe)
Compilation/Synthesis
