Growing Up in Ireland
Growing Up in Ireland is the national longitudinal study of children. This Study examines the factors that contribute to or undermine the well-being of children in contemporary Irish families.
Growing Up in Ireland data contribute to the setting of effective and responsive policies relating to children and to the design of services for children and their families.
- What are the objectives of Growing Up in Ireland?
- What are the key elements of Growing Up in Ireland?
- What data has been collected?
- What data can be accessed?
- How can the quantitative data be accessed?
- How can the qualitative data be accessed?
- What reports have been published?
- Where can further information be found?
What are the objectives of Growing Up in Ireland?
The specific objectives of Growing Up in Ireland can be summarised as follows:
- to describe the lives of children in Ireland, in order to establish what is typical and normal as well as what is atypical and problematic;
- to chart the development of children over time, in order to examine the progress and wellbeing of children at critical periods from birth to adulthood;
- to identify the key factors that, independently of others, most help or hinder children’s development;
- to establish the effects of early childhood experiences on later life;
- to map dimensions of variation in children’s lives;
- to identify the persistent adverse effects that lead to social disadvantage and exclusion, educational difficulties, ill health and deprivation;
- to obtain children’s views and opinions on their lives;
- to provide a bank of data on the whole child; and
- to provide evidence for the creation of effective and responsive policies and services for children and families.
What are the key elements of Growing Up in Ireland?
Growing Up in Ireland:
- includes two cohorts, an infant cohort (beginning at 9 months) and a child cohort (beginning at 9 years).
- undertakes three waves of data collection of the infant cohort (at 9 months, 3 years and 5 years) and two waves of data collection of the child cohort (at 9 and 13 years).
- collects data from multiple informants including parents (both resident and non-resident), teachers, principals and childcare providers.
- provides access to data to support applied and academic research.
What data has been collected?
The first and second waves of data collection has been completed for both the infant cohort (at 9 months and at 3 years) and child cohort (at 9 years and at 13 years).
What data can be accessed?
Data from the second waves of data collected from the infant cohort (at age 3 years) and the child cohort (at age 13 years) will become available at the end of February and the end of December 2013 respectively.
How can the quantitative data be accessed?
Two types of Growing Up in Ireland quantitative data files can be accessed: Anonymised Microdata Files and Researcher Microdata Files.
- The Anonymised Microdata File (AMF) is a publicly available anonymised dataset. Researchers wishing to access the AMF should apply to the Irish Social Science Data Archive (ISSDA) at www.ucd.ie/issda.
- The Researcher Microdata File (RMF) is a more detailed dataset. Access to the RMF is subject to appointment of the researcher as an Officer of Statistics by the Central Statistics Office, meaning that the researcher is subject to the full rigour and penalties of the Statistics Act, 1993. Researchers wishing to access the RMF should apply to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
How can the qualitative data be accessed?
The Growing Up in Ireland qualitative data file is also a publicly available anonymised dataset. Researchers wishing to access the qualitative data file should apply to the Irish Qualitative Data Archive (IQDA) at www.iqda.ie
What reports have been published?
A number of reports from the first and second waves of data collection have been published for both the infant cohort (at 9 months and at 3 years) and child cohort (at 9 years and at 13 years).
Where can further information be found?
Further information on Growing Up in Ireland and a copy of instrumentation are available on www.growingup.ie.
Growing Up in Ireland is a Government study. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is funding it in association with the Department of Social Protection and the Central Statistics Office. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is overseeing and managing the study, which is being carried out by a consortium of researchers led by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and Trinity College Dublin.
