About the consultation

The next sweep of data collection for the Millennium Cohort Study will take place in 2028-29 when participants are aged 27. The MCS Age 27 Sweep is a critical opportunity to capture data to support key research and policy questions for years to come. The sweep will gauge how young adults are navigating the labour market at a time of rapid social and technological change, marked by hybrid working, job automation and the impact of Artificial Intelligence. Information captured on mental and physical health will determine whether this generation continues to face higher risk of mental illness and obesity, at the same time providing a foundation for future studies of healthy ageing. The sweep will also capture how life journeys are diverging for different groups, in particular around traditional life milestones like family formation and home ownership, which will facilitate intergenerational comparisons in pathways to and through adulthood.

The MCS Age 27 Sweep will consist of a core survey with cohort members (60 minutes online or 75 minutes face-to-face), as well as a 20-minute questionnaire for resident partners (where applicable). In addition, cohort members will be asked to download a study app to support short, low-burden data collection between sweeps.

CLS sought input from the scientific, policy and practice communities on what information should be captured in the MCS Age 27 Sweep. Suggestions included:

• topics, questions or scales for the cohort member or resident partner questionnaires
• ideas for between-sweep data collection through the study app
• proposals for innovative data collection methods including linkages and biomeasures.

Scientific themes

To guide contributions, the consultation was structured around four broad themes. The aim of these specified themes was to help structure discussions about what should be included in the survey. This list was not exhaustive, and we received suggestions on a broad range of topics.

1. Families, relationships and housing

Living arrangements and household composition, romantic partnerships and relationship histories, family dynamics, parenting and children, caring responsibilities, and housing circumstances including neighbourhood and local area.

2. Labour market experiences, economic circumstances, education and training

Employment and labour market experiences, job quality and working conditions, unemployment, income and benefits, financial security and debts, future career plans and expectations, education and training, qualifications and skills.

3. Physical health, mental health and cognitive function

Physical health and long-term conditions, mental health, wellbeing and socioemotional functioning, reproductive and sexual health, health behaviours such as sleep, diet, exercise, smoking, vaping, alcohol and drug use, personality and other psychological measures, and cognitive assessments such as memory, attention and decision-making.

4. Identity, participation, values and aspirations

Identity, gender and sexuality, religion, ethnicity and language, social and political attitudes and values, civic and community participation, volunteering and activism, social and cultural activities, digital life and use of technology, experiences of crime and victimisation, and aspirations and expectations for the future.

Guide to topic coverage in the Millennium Cohort Study

To support the consultation, CLS produced a guide to topics covered in MCS (PDF) at ages 17 and 23, as well as Next Steps at age 25 for a generational comparison.

Guide to topic coverage in MCS (PDF)