Millennium Cohort Study
Encyclopedia
The Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) is a longitudinal survey conducted by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) at the University of London
, following the lives of a sample of about 19,000 babies born in the UK in the year 2000–2001.
and family life in order to identify possible advantages and disadvantages that the children are facing.
The survey is conducted in different sweeps with the first one concentrating on the circumstances of the pregnancy and birth as well as the first few months of life. This first part of the survey is also important to record the socio-economic background of the family into which the child is born. The second sweep took place when the children were about 3 years of age and the main focus was on continuity and change in the family as well as the parenting environment to extract information about the child’s development. In the third sweep in 2006, the children were at the age of starting primary school. The fourth sweep took place in 2008, and the fifth will be in 2012.
The MCS is funded mainly by the Economic and Social Research Council
(ESRC) and various government departments, such as the Department for Children, Schools and Family (DCSF), the Department of Health (United Kingdom)
(DH) and the Department for Work and Pensions
(DfWP). The Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government
and the Northern Ireland Executive
have also contributed to fund the survey.
as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be overrepresented.
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, following the lives of a sample of about 19,000 babies born in the UK in the year 2000–2001.
History
The MCS is the fourth longitudinal birth cohort study conducted in the UK. Its aim is to create a multi-purpose dataset that describes the diversity of backgrounds into which children are born in the beginning of the 21st century. The information collected includes topics such as child development, social stratificationSocial stratification
In sociology the social stratification is a concept of class, involving the "classification of persons into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions ... a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political and ideological dimensions."...
and family life in order to identify possible advantages and disadvantages that the children are facing.
The survey is conducted in different sweeps with the first one concentrating on the circumstances of the pregnancy and birth as well as the first few months of life. This first part of the survey is also important to record the socio-economic background of the family into which the child is born. The second sweep took place when the children were about 3 years of age and the main focus was on continuity and change in the family as well as the parenting environment to extract information about the child’s development. In the third sweep in 2006, the children were at the age of starting primary school. The fourth sweep took place in 2008, and the fifth will be in 2012.
The MCS is funded mainly by the Economic and Social Research Council
Economic and Social Research Council
The Economic and Social Research Council is one of the seven Research Councils in the United Kingdom. It receives most of its funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and provides funding and support for research and training work in social and economic issues, such as...
(ESRC) and various government departments, such as the Department for Children, Schools and Family (DCSF), the Department of Health (United Kingdom)
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
(DH) and the Department for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
(DfWP). The Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
and the Northern Ireland Executive
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...
have also contributed to fund the survey.
Methodology and scope
The sample is structured by geographical clusters, allowing certain areas with significant ethnic minorities (in England), high levels of child povertyChild poverty
Child poverty refers to the phenomenon of children living in poverty. This applies to children that come from poor families or orphans being raised with limited, or in some cases absent, state resources. Children that fail to meet the minimum acceptable standard of life for the nation where that...
as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be overrepresented.