The Future study

Summary

Strengths: The survey covers a wide range of topics. There are plans to repeat this survey every five years and to include a new group of 50-54-year-olds. Weaknesses: Changes in population and data collection methods.

Type of data

Data Source
Survey

Type of Study
Other: Longitudinal survey

Data gathering method
Telephone
Other: Internet survey

Access to data

Conditions of access

Type of available data (e.g. anonymised microdata, aggregated tables, etc.)
Anomymised microdata.

Formats available
SAS, SPSS, tab-delimited file

Coverage

Coverage Years of collection, reference years, and sample sizes
Wave 1: data collected in 1987. Wave 2: data collected in 1997. Wave 3: data collected in 2002. Wave 4: data collected in 2010.

First year of collection
1987

Stratification if applicable
Age groups: 50-54, 60-64, 70-74 and 80-84 years

Base used for sampling

Geographical coverage and breakdowns
Entire country

Age range
50-84

Statistical representativeness
Other, please specify

Coverage of main and cross-cutting topics
The survey covers how respondents feel compared to their chronological age; what type of accommodation they have, distance to friends and family and whether they wish to move; Social relations; Received help from friends and family. It also looks at economic help between the generations, reflections on legacy and estate, health and exercise, life quality, opinion about welfare and benefits, employment status and retirement, age discrimination, new technologies, and voluntary work.

Linkage

Standardisation
N.A.

Possibility of linkage among databases
N.A.

Data quality

Entry errors if applicable
N.A.

Breaks
Changes in data collection method and the age groups covered. Therefore, comparisons to earlier versions are not possible. Waves 1-3 used face-to-face interviews and included other age groups. For future studies, the 2010 (Wave 4) method will be used.

Consistency of terminology or coding used during collection
N.A.

Governance

Contact information
Danish Data Archive (DDA)
Danish Data Archive (DDA)
Islandsgade 10
5000 Odense Denmark Phone: (+45)66113010
Email: mailbox(at)dda.dk
Url: http://www.aeldresagen.dk/aeldresagen-mener/fremtidsstudie/sider/default.aspx

Timeliness, transparency
In the latest round, the data was collected in 2010 and a report came out in 2013.