EVENTS
GUI Annual Conferences
Growing Up in Ireland is pleased to announce that its annual research conference will be held as an in-person event in the Gibson Hotel, Dublin on November 8th 2023. The conference is an important forum for sharing new research based on the GUI datasets with policy makers, fellow researchers and other stakeholders.
Details of all previous conferences (including abstracts and slides) can be accessed via the main conference page.
Report Launches
Information on all upcoming and previous Growing Up in Ireland report launches, including slides and video presentations, can be found here.
DATA
Applying for Growing Up in Ireland Data
Growing Up in Ireland datasets are made available to researchers on a confidential and anonymised basis through the Irish Social Sciences Data Archive. These files are known as Anonymised Microdata Files (AMFs).
- For details on how to apply for data relating to Cohort ’08 (the Infant Cohort), click here.
- For details on how to apply for data relating to Cohort ’98 (the Child Cohort), click here.
More detailed files, also on an anonymous and strictly confidential basis, may be made available to researchers at the discretion of the Central Statistics Office (CSO). These files are known as Researcher Microdata Files (RMFs). Applications are made through the CSO here.
Currently data are available for Cohort ’08 at 9 months, 3 years, 5 years, 7/8 years and 9 years; and for the Cohort ’98 at 9, 13, 17/18 and 20 years.
Further information on how to apply for both AMFs and RMFs can be found here.
Recent Data Release
WAVE 4 COHORT ’98 (at 20 years) AMF and RMF DATA (Dec 2021)
Growing Up in Ireland would like to announce that the Anonymised Microdata File (AMF) and the Researcher Microdata File (RMF) from Wave 4 Cohort ’98 (at 20 years) are now available.
These datasets include anonymised details on 5,190 20-year-olds and their families, who were first interviewed when they were nine-years-old. Wave 4 data collection took place between July 2018 and September 2019. Both datafiles are accompanied by a set of documents describing the data, their structure and content. The information contained on the files can be used for statistical purposes only – to use it for any other purpose would be an offence, under the Statistics Act, 1993. The various waves can be matched to previous waves by a unique id code, facilitating longitudinal analysis on the Growing Up in Ireland data.
The AMF is a publicly available anonymised dataset which provides many of the key variables form Wave 4 of the Child Cohort and has been prepared in such a way as to protect the anonymity of all participants. Researchers wishing to access the AMF should apply to the Irish Social Science Data Archive (ISSDA) here.
The 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 (CSO). Researchers wishing to access the RMF should apply to the CSO here.
COVID-19 SURVEY DATA for COHORT ’08 and COHORT ’98 (Oct 2021)
Growing Up in Ireland would like to announce that the Anonymised Microdata Files (AMF) and the Research Microdata Files (RMF) for the Special Covid-19 Survey for both Growing Up in Ireland Cohorts are now available.
These datasets include anonymised details on 3,301 12/13-year-olds and 3,901 Primary Caregivers from Cohort ’08 (Infant Cohort) and on 2,277 22-year-olds from Cohort ’98 (Child Cohort). Data collection for the Covid-19 survey took place in December 2020. Each datafile is accompanied by a set of documents describing the data, their structure and content. The information contained on the files can be used for statistical purposes only – to use it for any other purpose would be an offence, under the Statistics Act, 1993. The Covid-19 survey data can be matched by a unique id code to previous waves of Cohort ’08 and Cohort ‘98 data, facilitating longitudinal analysis of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Growing Up in Ireland study participants.
WAVE 5 COHORT ’08 (at 9 years) AMF and RMF DATA
Growing Up in Ireland would like to announce that the Anonymised Microdata File (AMF) and Research Microdata File (RMF) from Wave 5 (age 9) of the Cohort ’08 are now available.
These datasets includes anonymised details on over 8,000 9-year-olds and their families, who were first interviewed when they were nine-months old. Wave 5 data collection for families took place between June 2017 and April 2018, and was followed by a postal survey of schools. The information contained on the files can be used for statistical purposes only – to use it for any other purpose would be an offence, under the Statistics Act, 1993. The Wave 5 data can be matched by a unique id code to the Wave 1/2/3/4 data, facilitating longitudinal analysis on the Growing Up in Ireland Cohort ’08 (Infant Cohort) data.
The Anonymised Microdata File (AMF) can be accessed through the Irish Social Science Data Archive (ISSDA) here.
The Research Microdata File (RMF) can be accessed through the Central Statistics Office (CSO) here.
Data Workshops
The Growing Up in Ireland research team host regular data workshops; these workshops cover a broad range of topics and aim to promote and support the use of the GUI datasets from both the Child Cohort ’98 and the Infant Cohort ’08.
Further information about GUI data workshops can be found here.
Details of upcoming workshops will be posted on this website, as well as on our Instagram and Twitter accounts.
All enquiries regarding workshops should be addressed to growingup@equality.gov.ie.
Qualitative Data
Circa 120 qualitative interviews supplemented the main survey data collection at the first waves of the Child and Infant Cohorts (ages 9 years and 9 months respectively). Anonymised versions of these qualitative datasets are available through the Irish Qualitative Data Archive at the University of Maynooth.
Data Confidentiality
All information provided as part of Growing Up in Ireland are treated as strictly confidential. The study is carried out under the Statistics Act (1993) – this makes it an offence to use the data for anything other than research purposes or to attempt to identify individuals. Researchers seeking to use Growing Up in Ireland anonymised data must agree to these conditions and abide by any other conditions, such as relating to data security, as set out by the Central Statistics Office, DCEDIY, ISSDA, the GUI Study Team or related bodies.
Technical Documentation for Data Users
Documentation for data users – summary dataset guides, data dictionaries etc – are now available here.
QUESTIONNAIRES
Questionnaires for all completed waves of Growing Up in Ireland are available to view here. Please note that some scales are not available to view within the documentation.
Useful links for researchers
For links to other child cohort and related studies, as well as selected research institutes and networks related to research on children and young people, please click here.
To find out more about the history and impact of Growing Up in Ireland please find here a presentation by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
Please note that we do not take any responsibility for the content of other sites.
