MCS Age 17 Sweep

Main dataset available via the UK Data Service [SN 8682]. Visit the UK Data Service website to access the data

The Millennium Cohort Study: Longitudinal Family File, 2001-2018 [SN 8172]. Visit the UK Data Service website to access the data

The Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) is renowned for the evidence it provides on the experience of growing up in the United Kingdom in the 21^st century. The age 17 sweep was completed in 2019. This period of transition to adulthood marked a pivotal stage in cohort members’ development, as their paths diverged in a way that will greatly influence their future wellbeing.

Previously, schooling will have been the main activity common to the majority of cohort members. However, by age 17, cohort members will have taken important decisions in relation to schooling, further education, training, work, and living at home. Capturing these transitions well, alongside the contemporary factors underlying them was critical.

To this end, it was important to build up a picture of daily life, including factors such as:

• relationships with parents
• family and peers
• risky behaviours
• social media engagement
• effort on activities such as education/school

Additional factors affecting decisions at this age include attitudes and preferences, such as preferences for education, attitudes to risk, willingness to trade off resources at different points in time, and expectations about future life events. Measuring social and emotional development, mental health and cognitive development and using well-validated instruments, was also a critical component of the survey.