Update 2026

UK funder update 2025-2026

Wave 12 web-first fieldwork launched

Wave 11 datasets released

New NHS England linked data received and shared

Stakeholder engagement activities

Start of Wave 13 planning

102 policy documents published

293 scientific papers published

304 media mentions

Wave 12

Wave 12 marks the biggest methodological development in ELSA since the study began, introducing a web-first approach to data collection. Following extensive testing and consultation with participants and stakeholders, the new design has been successfully implemented and will help ensure the long-term sustainability of the study while maintaining the high-quality data that underpin research and policy.

Wave 12 has been the major focus of activity over the past year. Development of the new web-first design included consultation with participants, collaborators and UK government departments, alongside cognitive testing, user testing and a dress rehearsal.

Mainstage fieldwork began in October 2025 and has progressed well, with encouraging response rates broadly comparable with previous waves. The questionnaire was also updated across key policy areas including health, social care and pensions.

Wave 12 fieldwork is due to finish in September 2026 with the dataset being released in 2027.

Wave 13 planning

Planning for Wave 13 is already underway, with work beginning on the next phase of ELSA's development. This wave will include a health visit along with the standard questionnaire.

As Wave 12 fieldwork moves towards completion, attention is turning to the design and content of Wave 13. Planning is underway for the next questionnaire, the return of the health visit, and the continued use of the successful mixed-mode approach introduced in Wave 12.

The next ELSA UK Funder and Advisory Group meeting, taking place on Monday 12 October, will provide the first opportunity to present the proposed Wave 13 developments to the funding departments. Holding this discussion at an early stage of planning will ensure there is sufficient time for departments to provide feedback and help shape the final content of the study, ensuring that ELSA continues to address emerging policy priorities while maintaining the continuity that is essential for long-term longitudinal research.

Nutrition survey

An inter-wave nutrition survey is planned to take place between Wave 12 and Wave 13. This was previously carried out at Wave 9 using the online Oxford WebQ dietary assessment. This will be used again but with a new meal timing component to support research on chrono-nutrition.

A recent analysis using data from the ELSA dietary assessments and the Covid-19 Substudy data found that following a Mediterranean-style diet is associated with better psychological wellbeing in later life. The study also found that people whose diets were closer to the Mediterranean pattern appeared to be more resilient to the emotional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data releases

During the year, ELSA continued to make new data available to users, with the release of several important Wave 11 datasets. Together these resources extend opportunities for research into health, ageing and the life course and provide an important evidence base for future research and policy.

Several key Wave 11 data resources were released during the last year, including the main survey dataset, survey weights, financial derived variables, the health visit dataset and supporting documentation. The Wave 11 End of Life and Wave 11 Life History datasets are also now available, providing valuable new information on participants' life experiences and circumstances at the end of life.

A full list of available datasets can be found here: https://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/accessing-elsa-data

To support data users in making the best use of these resources, ELSA hosted an online data user event showcasing the new datasets and demonstrating how they can be used to address a wide range of research and policy questions.

Linked data

ELSA continues to increase the value of the study by expanding linked administrative data resources. These developments are creating new opportunities for researchers and policymakers to understand the factors influencing health and ageing throughout later life.

The range of linked data available through ELSA continued to expand during the year through NHS England linked data and participation in the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration.

The NHS England linked data are already supporting a growing portfolio of research across the ELSA collaboration. Approved projects are examining dementia, health inequalities, hospital use, social care, end of life care, working life expectancy, cardiovascular disease and mortality. Together these studies demonstrate the value of linking ELSA's rich longitudinal survey data with routine NHS records to address important questions for health and social policy.

The Healthy Homes project also started this year. Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the project will investigate whether home energy efficiency improvements, such as insulation and heating upgrades, improve the health and wellbeing of older people. By combining ELSA data with information on housing improvements, energy performance and NHS records, the project will provide new evidence on the health impacts of housing retrofit and help inform future housing, energy and public health policy.

Stakeholder engagement

ELSA has been strengthening its approach to stakeholder and policy engagement, with work this year to identify and engage more systematically with organisations that use, influence or could benefit from the study. Led by Dr Brian Beach, this included a stakeholder mapping exercise and subsequent roundtable discussions, helping to identify priority organisations and strengthen relationships across government, research, the third sector and other organisations with an interest in ageing and later life.

In June, Dr Brian Beach led a stakeholder mapping workshop to identify and prioritise organisations for future engagement. The exercise considered organisations across government, research funding, the third sector, think tanks and professional bodies, and resulted in a stakeholder map and priority list to guide future activity.

Following the mapping exercise, stakeholder roundtables were held to begin engaging directly with priority organisations. These discussions form part of a broader programme of work to strengthen ELSA's relationships with policy and stakeholder organisations and support the use of ELSA evidence in policy and practice.

Research impact

ELSA continues to make an important contribution to research and policy. During the past year, the study underpinned 159 research publications and informed 102 policy reports produced by UK Government departments, Parliament, public bodies and international organisations.

Research using ELSA data continued to generate a substantial body of scientific evidence across healthy ageing, dementia, pensions, social care, health inequalities, physical activity and loneliness. The full list of scientific publication that used ELSA data can be found here: https://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/publications

Between June 2025 and May 2026, 102 policy documents citing ELSA research or data were published, demonstrating the study’s continuing contribution to policy and public debate. These covered a wide range of issues relevant to an ageing population, including pensions, health and social care, employment, transport, housing and inequalities.

ELSA in the media

ELSA research continued to attract substantial media attention over the past year, with 304 media mentions across national newspapers, broadcasters and specialist health and science outlets. Stories ranged from dementia and cognitive ageing to caring, smoking, transport and air quality, helping ELSA findings reach a broad public and policy audience.