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

北爱尔兰纵向研究(NILS)是研究和政策界研究和了解改变北爱尔兰纵向研究的社会过程的有力资源。由于其部族间冲突的历史，它是世界上研究最多的社会之一，最近已成为从暴力向和平过渡过程中解决冲突的典范。因此，了解国家创新系统中预先存在和正在进行的社会、经济和人口过程具有重大价值，随着时间的推移，这只会随着更多数据来源的获得而增加。如上所述，国家人口普查系统是满足这一需求的理想选择：它已经确立为一个强有力、范围广泛的信息来源；它与2001年人口普查和各种行政来源相联系；目前正在扩展，以包括与2011年人口普查的联系(计划在2013年进行)。然而，与其他英国纵向研究相比，它在时间向后的数据联系方面较弱。这就是建议与1991年人口普查挂钩的理由，1991年人口普查是这项申请的主要重点。这种联系将使人们能够分析北爱尔兰快速变化的关键时期(1991年至2011年)，特别是利用人口普查数据(1991年、2001年和2011年)可衡量的社会和人口转型所标志的离散变化。鉴于“和平进程”的性质以及公平就业和社区关系政策干预的实施和监测，这可能具有特别重要的意义。此外，这项建议亦会探讨与1981年人口普查有关连的可行性和价值，以便将覆盖范围进一步追溯至过去，以便在北爱尔兰社会发展的一个非常关键的时期，更好地了解该社会。这不是一个微不足道的问题--在1981年人口普查的匹配方面，很可能会有技术上的困难需要克服，以及1981年北爱尔兰人口普查的混乱历史所产生的方法问题，在那次普查中，对一些问题的统计不足和有选择地回答。

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.