Initial findings from the BCS70 Age 51 Sweep

In the news

PRESS RELEASE

One in four report financial difficulties in midlife

More than a quarter of British adults in their early 50s are ‘just getting by’ or ‘finding it quite’ or ‘very difficult’ financially, while two-thirds worry about how much money they will have to live on in retirement.

27 February 2026

Briefing papers

Employment and finances – Initial findings from the 1970 British Cohort Study at Age 51

Author(s): Dr Bozena Wielgoszewska, Dr Sam Parsons, Dr Vanessa Moulton, Professor George Ploubidis

This briefing uses data from the 1970 British Cohort Study to examine generation X’s employment situation and finances at age 51.

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DATA RELEASE

BCS70 Age 51 Sweep

The Age 51 Sweep took place between summer 2021 and January 2024. 8,016 cohort members took part. The Age 51 Sweep was scheduled to begin in 2020 but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Data from this and other sweeps of BCS70 are available from the UK Data Service.