An important area of RERC Phase 1 work using the new definition has been its application to two of the four main national longitudinal data sets, namely, the ONS Longitudinal Study and the Millennium Cohort Study. Longitudinal data are collected for the same individuals over a period of time, and can thus chart the life courses of people in particular circumstances. The ONS Longitudinal Study (LS), for example, contains linked census and vital event data for one per cent of the population of England and Wales from the 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses, and records information on events such as births, deaths and state of health. The Centre for Longitudinal Studies, which is part of the RERC consortium, is using these data to track social and geographical mobility in rural areas over time.
The RERC will also examine the value and applicability to rural evidence building of two further major national longitudinal studies: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and the Time Use Study 2000. In addition to the substantive value of these studies to rural policy making, the RERC is also concerned to extend the ‘rural tagging’ of other major national data sets.