Extending the NILS: Making a Full Link to the 1991 Census

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The Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS) is a powerful resource for the research and policy community to research and understand the social processes changing NI. Because of it history of intercommunal strife it is one of the most studied societies in the world and, more recently, has become an exemplar for conflict resolution in the transition from violence to peace. Consequently, there is great value in understanding pre-existing and on-going social, economic, and demographic processes in NI and this can only increase over time as more data sources become available. As noted, the NILS is ideally placed to fill this need: it is already established as a robust, wide-ranging and source; it is linked to the 2001 Census and to a variety of administrative sources; and is currently being extended to include linkage of the 2011 Census (planned for 2013). However, in comparison, with the other UK longitudinal studies, it is weaker in data linkages backward through time. This is the rationale for the proposal for a link to the 1991 Census, the primary focus of this application. Such a linkage will allow analyses of the crucial period of rapid change in Northern Ireland (from 1991 to 2011), expecially of the discrete changes marked by social and demographic transitions measurable using census data (1991, 2001 & 2011). This may be of especial importance given the nature if the 'Peace Process' and the implementation and monitoring of policy interventions in fair employment and community relations. In addition, therefore, the proposal will also seek to scope the feasibility and value of a link to the 1981 Census to extend coverage further back through time so as to better understand Northern Ireland society during a very crucial period for its development. This is not a trivial problem - there may well be technical difficulties to overcome in terms of matching from the 1981 Census and methodological problems arising from the troubled history of the 1981 Northern Ireland Census which saw under-enumeration and selective response to some questions.