The joint NCDS Age 68 and BCS70 Age 56 Sweep was developed with input from experts across the scientific, policy, third, and private sectors. Many thanks to everyone who took part in the consultation – we very much appreciate your contributions. The consultation is now closed.
You can read the draft version of the questionnaire and a consultation report which contains our responses to the ideas we received during the consultation. The final version of the questionnaire will be published soon.
The latest sweep of data collection for NCDS and BCS70 is being carried out jointly across the two studies in 2026 when NCDS participants are aged 68 and BCS70 participants are aged 56. It consists of a 50-minute web survey.
With rich longitudinal data across the whole of life, both NCDS and BCS70 are uniquely placed to address key research and policy questions about ageing. Data from these studies are ideal for investigating healthy ageing, extending working lives, pension adequacy and social care, among other issues.
The joint sweep is the first opportunity to survey NCDS cohort members after they reached the State Pension age of 66. BCS70 cohort members, at 56, will also be at a critical age for capturing declines in labour market participation, and for collecting comparable information to NCDS at age 55.
Carrying out a joint sweep is not only cost-effective, it also maximises the potential for cross-cohort comparisons through harmonisation. This web survey follows three successful web surveys of these cohorts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The sweep will cover three broad areas:
