datasets

Datasets

Are you looking for datasets to use in your research on ageing-related issues in Northern Ireland? This page highlights some key resources that you may find useful.

Agestats.ie was created by the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (now the Ageing Research and Development Division within the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH), and provides a catalogue of data sources on ageing in Ireland. Users can search across 50 datasets (27 in Northern Ireland and 23 in the Republic of Ireland) to find out how a particular topic was asked in these surveys. However, the site does not provide access to the datasets themselves.
ARK has created a smaller catalogue of survey datasets relevant to research on older people in No rthern Ireland, which focuses on 7 key surveys. This document also includes information on how to access the datasets. (Updated, February 2017)
Two teaching datasets have been created based on the 2014 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey: one focusing on ageing, and one on dementia. The datasets are available in SPSS format, and the accompanying teaching resources document includes background information and a codebook. These resources are aimed at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Chapter 3 of the report Measuring Old-Age Social Exclusion in a Cross-Border Context (by Padraic Ward, Kieran Walsh and Thomas Scharf, 2014) provides a useful comparison of datasets in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The most recent Census of Population took place on Sunday 27 March 2011. The Census website provides background information on the Census, as well as tables of results at a range of geographic levels (including Northern Ireland, Local Government Districts, Assembly Areas, Wards, Super Output Areas and Small Areas. Comparisons can also be made across the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe.
Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service (NINIS) provides free access to statistical and locational information relating to small areas across Northern Ireland. Information is available across a range of themes including Population, Health and Social Care, Education and Skills, and Crime. As well as showing information for small areas, the site provides access to tables of statistics, maps and more interactive content. NINS run a series of workshops on how to use the site. In particular, there are Age-Friendly profiles for each of the 14 Local Government Districts, which focus on demographic, deprivation, health, participation, and security statistics.
The UK Data Archive is the UK’s largest collection of digital research data in the social sciences and humanities. The archive provides access and support for an extensive range of economic and social data, both quantitative and qualitative, spanning many disciplines and themes. There is no charge for this data, unless it is for commercial use. Users need to register to use the archive, but you do not need to be based in a university. The archive doesn’t provide ready-made statistics. However, it does provide the facility to view frequencies from popular surveys using Nesstar software.