Professor James Banks
Co-Principal Investigator
University of Manchester
Professor James Banks
Co-Principal Investigator
University of Manchester
Professor David Batty
Department of Epidemiology & Public Health
University College London
Professor David Batty
Department of Epidemiology & Public Health
University College London
Kate Coughlin
Project Manager
Department of Epidemiology & Public Health
University College London
Kate Coughlin
Project Manager
Department of Epidemiology & Public Health
University College London
ELSA COVID-19 Substudy
The ELSA COVID-19 Substudy aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the older population in England.
We have been awarded funding from the Economic and Social Research Council via the UK Research and Innovation Covid-19 Rapid Response call, to collect data from more than 10,000 of our ELSA participants, all aged 50 years and over, asking them about their experiences of the COVID-19 crisis.
Data Collection
Fieldwork for the first wave lasted 54 days (7 weeks and 5 days), with the survey launching on 3rd June 2020. The CATI fieldwork started on the 29th June and lasted for 4 weeks, with a smaller number of study participants being assigned to the telephone interviewers two weeks earlier than the others.
The first wave of the ELSA COVID-19 Substudy closed on the 26th July 2020, achieving a final response rate of 75% (7,040 completed interviews from a sample of 9,392 study participants), with 83% of the surveys completed online and 17% on the phone.
The web fieldwork for the second wave started on the 4th November 2020 and lasted 47 days (6 weeks and 5 days, one week shorter than the first wave). The CATI fieldwork started one week after, on the 11th November.
The second wave of the ELSA COVID-19 Substudy closed on the 20th December 2020, confirming the same response rate and split in modes witnessed in the first wave of the Substudy: final response rate of 75% (6,794 completed interviews, with fewer study participants issued to the second wave due to refusals and ineligibility), 83% of the surveys were completed online and 17% on the phone.
Data from the first wave of the ELSA COVID-19 Substudy is now available to download via the UK Data Service.
Rapid reports
Financial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic for
older people
30th September 2020
The experience of older people instructed to shield or self-isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic
30th September 2020 (updated 13th October 2020)
The experience of older people
with multimorbidity during the
COVID-19 pandemic
30th September 2020
Changes in older people’s experiences of providing care and of volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic
30th September 2020
Methodological report