Swedish multi-generation register

Summary

The Multi-Generation Register provides important information about the new demographic structure in Sweden and is almost complete from 1968 and onwards. It does not cover immigrants who did not get a personal identification number-ID and also people who have left Sweden without giving information on that.

Type of data

Data Source
Registry

Type of Study
Survey same

Data gathering method
Registries

Access to data

Conditions of access

Type of available data (e.g. anonymised microdata, aggregated tables, etc.)
The registry is distributed through MONA system (Micro Data On line access) to users. MONA system aims to increase access to microdata while security and privacy in the management strengthened. By MONA user gets access to databases and can make derivative works of them via the Internet. Physically the databases are stored at SCB.

Formats available
Excel, SAS, SPSS, STATA and other forms; see http://www.scb.se/Grupp/Tjanster/MONA_produktblad_engelsk.pdf

Coverage

Coverage Years of collection, reference years, and sample sizes
The Multi-Generation register is a register comprised of people who have been registered in Sweden at some time since 1961 and those who were born in 1932 or later. These are called index persons. The register contains connections between index persons and their biological parents. There are about 10 million index persons in the register. For index persons who were adopted, there is also information on their adoptive parents. There are about 150,000 index persons with information on adoptive mothers and/or adoptive fathers. The Multi-Generation Register is a part of the Total Population Register, where information comes from the National Tax Board. From the 2002 version onwards, information is also collected for certain index persons from older national registration material. This older material consists of personal records concerning persons who died between 1947 and 1967, and Statistics Sweden's register of births from 1961 to 1967. Every year, a new version of the register is created, including new index persons who immigrated or were born during the year.

First year of collection
1961

Stratification if applicable
Yes. age, sex, region, etc.

Base used for sampling

Geographical coverage and breakdowns
The whole country

Age range
No age restrictions

Statistical representativeness
Population representative

Coverage of main and cross-cutting topics
The Multi-Generation Register is primarily intended for research and therefore coherence with other registers is, in many cases, essential. The register is used, for example, in medical studies where kinship is of key importance. An example of registers in which background information and result data can be taken for the study of populations are the Population and Housing Census, the Cancer Register of the National Board of Health and Welfare or other medical registers.

Linkage

Standardisation
See URL

Possibility of linkage among databases
The Multi-Generation Register is primarily intended for research and therefore coherence with other registers is, in many cases, essential. The register is used, for example, in medical studies where kinship is of key importance. An example of registers in which background information and result data can be taken for the study populations are the Population and Housing Census, the Cancer Register of the National Board of Health and Welfare or other medical registers.

Data quality

Entry errors if applicable
In terms of index persons, the Multi-Generation Register covers, for the most part, all persons who have been registered since 1968. For those who were only registered between 1961 and 1967, coverage is good, but not as comprehensive. A lesser number of persons, around 2,800, of those who emigrated between 1961 and 1967 and who did not return are missing in the register. A condition for the data on parent's social security number should be that the parent was registered in Sweden at any point since 1947, when Social Security was introduced. Based on the register, you cannot determine if a record is missing due to loss or if the parent was not registered in Sweden in 1947 or later. For the foreign-born persons index, data is available on parents, in some cases, for those who immigrated as adults, and for those who immigrated without their biological parents, for example, adopted children. See http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BE9999_2011A01_BR_BE96BR1102.pdf

Breaks
No major breaks. http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BE9999_2011A01_BR_BE96BR1102.pdf

Consistency of terminology or coding used during collection
High level of consistency over the years. http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BE9999_2011A01_BR_BE96BR1102.pdf

Governance

Contact information
Kerstin Båsjö
Statistics Sweden

701 89 Örebro Sweden Phone: +4619-17 61 23
Email: Kerstin.bagsjo(at)scb.se; Befolkning.Forskning(at)scb.se
Url: http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BE9999_2011A01_BR_BE96BR1102.pdf

Timeliness, transparency
There is no set time between when data is collected and then released. A publication is released in March each year.