If you are thinking about undertaking research on the lives of children and their families, why not consider using data that has been collected in Growing Up in Ireland?

What are the key elements of Growing Up in Ireland?
• Growing Up in Ireland includes TWO COHORTS, and infant cohort (beginning at nine months) and a child cohort (beginning at nine years)
• Growing Up in Ireland includes TWO WAVES OF DATA COLLECTION of the infant cohort (at nine months and three years) and of the child cohort (at nine and 13 years)
• Growing Up in Ireland collects data from MULTIPLE INFORMANTS including parents (both resident and non-resident), teachers, principals and childcare providers.
• Growing Up in Ireland includes both QUANTITATIVE and QUALITATIVE studies.
• Growing Up in Ireland provides access to data to support applied and academic research.

What data can be accessed?
Data from the FIRST WAVES OF DATA COLLECTED from the infant cohort and child cohort are now available.

There are approximately 11,100 children in the infant cohort for the quantitative study and 120 children in the infant cohort for the qualitative study.

There are approximately 8,500 children in the child cohort for the quantitative study and 120 children in the child cohort for the qualitative study.

How can the QUANTITATIVE DATA be accessed?
Two types of Growing up in Ireland quantitative data files can be accessed: Anonymised Microdata Files and Researcher Microdata Files.

The Anonymised Microdata File (AMF) is a publicly available anonymised dataset. Researchers wishing to access the AMF should apply to the Irish Social Science Data Archive (ISSDA) at www.ucd.ie/issda

The Researcher Microdata File (RMF) is a more detailed dataset. Access to the RMF is subject to appointment of the researcher as an Officer of Statistics by the Central Statistics Office, meaning that the reseracher is subject to the full rigour and penalties of the Statistics Act, 1993. Researchers wishing to access the RMF should apply to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs at www.dcya.ie

How can the QUALITATIVE DATA be accessed?
The Growing Up in Ireland qualitative data file is also a publicly available anonymised dataset. Researchers wishing to access the qualitative data file should apply to the Irish Qualitative Data Archive (IQDA) at www.iqda.ie