Scottish Longitudinal Study

The Scottish Longitudinal Study (SLS) is a large-scale linkage study which has been created by using data available from current Scottish administrative and statistical sources. These include Census data, Vital Events data (births, deaths, marriages), National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) data (migration in or out of Scotland) and NHS data (cancer registrations and hospital admissions). The SLS includes a range of variables covering cultural, demographic, economic, health, housing and social issues.

The SLS is established, maintained and supported by the Longitudinal Studies Centre - Scotland (LSCS), which is based in the offices of the General Register Office for Scotland in Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews, and funded by the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Chief Scientist Office, General Register Office for Scotland, Economic and Social Research Council, and The Scottish Executive.

The SLS is similar to and is modelled on the England and Wales Longitudinal Study (LS), but with some key differences. The SLS is a 5.3 per cent representative sample of the Scottish population, rather than a one per cent sample, as in the LS. The SLS began with data from the 1991 census, while the LS began with data from the 1971 census. There are a small number of variables that are included in the LS which are not included in the SLS and vice versa. Most notably, hospital admissions data and marriage events can be linked into the SLS - similar data are not included in the LS.

Approximately 274,000 SLS members have been identified from the 1991 census and information for these individuals has been linked from other datasets, including the 2001 census, vital events and health information. In the inter-census periods, vital event information is collected on a continuous basis.

The SLS provides a high quality longitudinal research dataset that can be used to provide an insight into the health and social status of the Scottish population and how it changes over time. This is important because Scotland is disadvantaged in several ways. For example, overall mortality rates are higher than the rest of Britain (commonly described as the 'Scottish Effect'); fertility rates are lower than the rest of Britain; population ageing is a significant problem for the future in Scotland; specific causes of death such as lung cancer and heart disease rank among the worst in Europe; and rates of household deprivation are higher than in the rest of Britain. These issues, and the inter-relationships between them, are examples of what can be explored using the SLS.

The SLS was set up to collect data that is either required by law (Census, birth registration, death registration, marriage registration) or is a standard administrative function within Britain. As a result, attrition rates are extremely low and linkage rates for events tend to be very high. Also, the sample size is very large compared to most surveys or panel studies.

For further information, additional resources, and news and events, users are advised to visit the LSCS web pages:

• LSCS SLS

Because of the sensitive nature of the data held in the SLS, raw microdata files are not provided to users. Instead, two options for accessing SLS data through LSCS are available: 1) 'remote access', involving the creation of a subset of the SLS dataset in SPSS, SAS or Stata on behalf of the user, following extensive discussions about the design, and 2) working on a dataset in a 'safe setting' based in the General Register Office for Scotland in Edinburgh. Data access through the LSCS is described in detail at:

• LSCS SLS access

Pilot Remote Access project

Together the SDS and the University of St Andrews will be piloting remote access to a non-disclosive SLS training dataset, from a safe room setting at the University of St Andrews. This pilot is intended to investigate the underlying technology and standards which might enable, at a future date, should governmental agreement be forthcoming, access to a wider variety of SLS data from a secure room at St Andrews.