Household and child survey

The longitudinal survey at the heart of Young Lives consists of a survey of all 12,000 children and their primary caregivers every 3 years. This is combined with in-depth qualitative research with a sub-sample of the children in the intervening years.

The survey consists of 3 main elements:

• A child questionnaire
• A household questionnaire
• A community questionnaire.

The household data we gather is similar to other cross-sectional datasets (such as the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study). It covers topics such as household composition, livelihood and assets, food and non-food consumption and expenditure, socio-economic status, social capital, economic changes and recent life history, childcare, child health and access to basic services, parental background and education. This is supplemented with additional questions that cover caregiver perceptions, attitudes, and aspirations for their child and the family.

We also collect detailed time-use data for all family members, information about the children’s weight and height (and that of their caregivers), and test the children for school outcomes (language comprehension and maths). An important part of the survey asks the children about their daily activities, their experiences and attitudes to work and school, their likes and dislikes, how they feel they are treated by other people, and their hopes and aspirations for the future.

The community questionnaire provides background information about the social, economic and environmental context of each community. It covers topics such as population, ethnicity, religion and language, economic activity and employment, infrastructure and services, health and education facilities, political representation and community networks, crime and environmental changes.

In Round 1, we also used a caregiver questionnaire for the Younger Cohort to gather information about the child’s mother, pre-natal and post-natal care, and the child’s very early life.

In Round 3 we also introduced several new elements:

• a self-administered questionnaire for the Older Cohort to introduce questions about health, relationships and personal experiences that young people may feel uncomfortable discussing with adult researchers.
• a school-based component to find out more about the resources available for children’s education – the buildings, teacher training, and quality and effectiveness of classroom interactions and learning.
• collecting data about the health and nutrition and education of siblings of the younger cohort children (in all countries except India), in order to understand intra-household differences and dynamics.

The survey is carried out by teams of local researchers, supported by the Principal Investigator and Data Manager in each country. We are fortunate to have had very low turnover of staff in these teams, and feel that the dedication and long-term commitment of these teams are significant factors that contribute to our low rates of attrition between survey rounds.

The household and child survey is complemented by in-depth qualitative research that is building a set of 200 ‘nested case studies’ to supplement the data provided by the household and child surveys.

	Year	Younger Cohort	Older cohort
Round 1 survey	2002	6 to 18 months	7 to 8 years
Round 2 survey	2006-7	4 to 5 years	11 to 12 years
Qualitative Round 1	2007	5 to 6 years	12 to 13 years
Qualitative Round 2	2008	6 to 7 years	13 to 14 years
Round 3 survey	2009	7 to 8 years	14 to 15 years
Qualitative Round 3	2011	9 to 10 years	16 to 17 years
Round 4 survey	2013	11 to 12 years	18 to 19 years
Qualitative Round 4	2014	12 to 13 years	19 to 20 years
Round 5 survey	2016	14 to 15 years	21 to 22 years

Key contact

Anne Solon, Data and Survey Manager (anne.solon_at_qeh.ox.ac.uk)