Advances in Longitudinal Survey Methodology

7Determinants of Consent to Administrative Records Linkage in Longitudinal Surveys: Evidence from Next Steps

Darina Peycheva, George Ploubidis, and Lisa Calderwood

Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK

7.1 Introduction

The value of enhancing survey data through linkage to administrative records is increasingly recognised among researchers. Linking survey and administrative data enables rich information from administrative records on a broad range of substantive areas to be combined with survey responses. Administrative data often include detailed information, such as dates of hospital admissions, school test and exam results, or financial information, which would be difficult or burdensome for survey participants to report accurately. Hence, record linkage increases the utility of survey data and the opportunities for research. In longitudinal surveys, administrative record linkage offers particular benefits for research including filling in gaps between waves or before the baseline wave, and enabling continued collection of administrative data after sample members have been lost to follow‐up, and thus providing valuable information for non‐respondents and non‐response adjustments.

To link survey data to administrative records, participants' informed consent is usually required for ethical and legal reasons, and often this is a requirement of administrative data holders. Participants are asked to give their permission to add information held ...