About Us
About the NILS
The Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS) is a wide-ranging database of people and their major life events, stretching back decades. It is proportionally the largest longitudinal study in the UK covering an impressive 28% of the Northern Ireland population and accounting for approximately 50% of Northern Ireland households. The NILS ‘core’ data are drawn from the Health Card Registration data and then linked to data from Census returns (1981, 1991, 2001, 2011& 2021), Vital Events (births, deaths and marriages), Migration and Property data. The result is over 40 years of longitudinal data which is regularly being updated. In addition to this rich resource there is the potential to link further Health and Social Care data via Distinct Linkage Projects.
The NILS microdata is an invaluable resource for a variety of research studies, focussing on a range of topics such as mental health, migration, commuting and working patterns. The data can provide evidence for research into social issues and the evaluation of government policies.
About the NIMS
In addition, for a more detailed investigation into NI mortality patterns, the Northern Ireland Mortality Study (NIMS) contains links for the enumerated population of Northern Ireland from the 1991, 2001 and 2011 Censuses to registered mortality data from the General Register Office (GRO). Within this database, there are static Person and Household data sets for each Census link, as well as a linkage table to a Deaths information table.
The NIMS database is updated quarterly and currently contains deaths up to September 2020. The NIMS 2011 was due to end in 2021 and it will now be extended to continue to include deaths data post 2021 to allow for ongoing research into the impact of Covid on deaths in NI.
Meet The Team
The NILS team spans QUB researchers and NISRA Research Officers. The NISRA Research Support Officers will assist with preparing your application and gaining access to the data. You can contact them at rsu@nisra.gov.uk
NILS Management Team
Dr Estelle Lowry
Director of the NILS
Research Interests: Research Interests: bio-psycho-social modelling of health, health geography. Current work: health effects of social isolation, socio-economic determinants of obesity.
Barshana Goswami
Research Associate
Dedicated NILS Research Associate conducting impactful, co-designed research with community partners
NILS Co-Investigators
Neil Rowland
NILS Co-Investigator
NILS Co-Investigator and long-term researcher using the NILS, UKCenLS’s, and various other administrative datasets
Andrew Grounds
NILS Co-Investigator
NILS Co-Investigator drawing on existing community partnerships to make NILS data accessible and relevant, particularly for communities that would benefit from it but lack the capacity to use it themselves.
