Trusted research: shaping
policy and improving lives
In a world where misinformation is rife, the UK Data Service can be relied upon as an institution that values data integrity at its core.
The UK Data Service provides the largest collection of economic, population and social research data in the UK.
Used by academics around the world, it continues to be the beacon of trust for data, supporting researchers with their drive to find solutions to the many pressing challenges we face around the globe.
Giving facts a FAIR shot
The use - and misuse - of data has a real impact on the lives of ordinary people.
It is for this reason the experts at the UK Data Service take their responsibilities so seriously.
With an unbeatable reputation for quality and integrity when it comes to data it is easy to see why.
The UK Data Service is the main social science digital repository in the country and offers unmatched expertise in data security, management, governance and ethics.
It has more experience than any other organisation in the world to provide a unique range of services that assist researchers every step of the way as they analyse data for the purpose, ultimately, of benefitting the public.
The lead partner, the UK Data Archive, based at the University of Essex, is a Trusted Research Environment (TRE), which means it offers a secure, digital space for the exploration of sensitive or confidential data.
It enabled Essex to become the first university to be awarded ISO27001 certification, an international standard of information security. The Archive is certified by the CoreTrustSeal, which outlines requirements for sustainable and trustworthy data infrastructures and the Service helped develop the Five Safes Framework to enable secure research access to data while protecting confidentiality.
The Service leads on the FAIR-IMPACT programme, which is funded by the European Commission’s Horizon scheme. Data that meets the FAIR principles is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable; in essence, data stored with the Service is locatable in perpetuity, stored in up-to-date, compatible file formats and maintained and enriched in such a way that it can be used and reused by researchers time and time again.
"Trusted repositories providing high quality, reliable FAIR data are a critical asset to the scientific process, ensuring that the impactful results of research can themselves be trustworthy and reusable assets into the future"
Hervé L’Hours, UK Data Archive Repository Preservation Manager and co-lead on the FAIR-IMPACT project.
“The impact of the excellent research carried out by researchers - who have accessed the data stored at the UK Data Archive - can be seen in changes to government policy.”
Joanne Webb
Head of Department, UK Data Archive
Associate Director, UK Data Service
Truth matters
Full Fact is an organisation which finds, exposes and counters the harm caused by false information.
When they find inaccuracies, they make sure a correction is made publicly.
Full Fact regularly uses the UK Data Service to support its investigations. Using sources like the English Housing Survey, Full Fact last year was able to assess how levelling up funds have been distributed.
While The Guardian and The Times reported that London would receive more levelling up funding than other, more deprived areas Full Fact revealed that when the funding is broken down per person, London was awarded less than the North East and Yorkshire.
The UK Data Service is key to ensuring that organisations like Full Fact have access to high quality data that has met international standards regarding data integrity and security.
"Bad information ruins lives. It damages people’s health and it hurts democracy.
"That’s why fact checking is so vital. Teams around the world, including Full Fact in the UK, are working to get good information to those who need it most – helping more people make informed choices about their lives."
Andy Dudfield, Full Fact UK
Birth of the
UK Data Service
The University of Essex has been home to the UK Data Archive since 1967, when it began life as the Social Science Research Council Data Bank.
Describing the production of the first catalogues, Eric Roughley, Deputy Director of the UK Data Archive from 1967 to 1992, said: “With due ceremony, the Computing Service’s printer was cleaned and prepared, a new ribbon inserted and, in a most stately fashion, a wodge of print-out would be carried over to the Computing Center, where we gathered around to observe the new catalogue being printed off. The whole exercise was conducted in a manner more like a masonic ritual - the operator even wore white gloves!”
Since 2012, the Archive has worked in partnership with the University of Manchester, UCL, the University of Edinburgh and the academic digital services organisation Jisc, to deliver the UK Data Service, working together to give the research community continuing access to the UK’s principal collection of social science data and data skills training.
In 2017 it was the UK Data Service that advised the Cabinet Office on its development of the data ethics framework, which influenced the implementation of the Digital Economy Act 2017.
The catalogue includes nearly ten thousand collections of social science and humanities data - ranging from current, on-going surveys to datasets dating back to the sixteenth century.
Depositing data with the Service ensures data of any age will be formatted and digitised to be of use now and for years to come, as the Service offers world-leading expertise in active data preservation.
Pioneering spirit
Paper catalogues and punched cards are long gone, but with each new iteration of technology, the Service has moved too. Increasingly, the rise in user demand for data services and the challenges of securely sharing data at scale are testing traditional data management practices, whilst the scope of its aspirations extends to getting maximum value from data with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
As it positions itself to deliver quality services in the future, it continues to lead and share best practice across the national and international research landscape as pioneers who have shaped and delivered active data preservation services for nearly 60 years.
The AI revolution is in its early stage and will change research in ways which cannot yet be predicted. For example, the automation of data application processes will significantly reduce time for researchers to access data. Machines can now create richer, more accurate metadata – and much more quickly – than humans, and this means better discoverability for researchers and better trust and privacy guarantees for our data depositors in the future.
The Service continues to maintain its position as the UK’s largest repository of economic and social research data, augmented by world-leading training and support functions. As it looks to the future, the primary aim of the Service will remain the provision of uncomplicated access to easily discoverable and relevant data to enable quality social and economic research.
More details about the Service's future plans can be found in its latest Annual Report.
Looking to the future
The UK Data Service has gone through a recent transition of leadership, with Professor Matthew Woollard stepping down as Director in 2023, after serving the organisation since 2010.
He was awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List for his work on advancing data accessibility and data innovation in the UK and beyond. His visionary approach to data management has revolutionised the way information is shared, accessed and used.
In July 2024, Dr Steve McEachern, the former Director of the Australian Data Archive, joined the UK Data Service as its new Director, and is looking forward to leading the delivery of the organisation’s new strategy.
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) awarded the UK Data Service £37.5 million, after receiving a strong case from the institution to continue providing its core services and further improve the quality of its support for users.
Steve said: "I am very much looking forward to leading such a prestigious organisation, with a rich history of success within the world of data. I am also looking forward to working with the ESRC, as well as our UK Data Service partners to deliver our vital services over the next six years."
Professor Matthew Woollard
Professor Matthew Woollard
Dr Steve McEachern
Dr Steve McEachern
Key moments for UK Data Service
Key surveys available via the UK Data Service
Running every ten years, all UK households must answer the Census, making it, arguably, the most comprehensive data-based picture of the country. There is access to Census data from 1851.
Understanding Society, the largest longitudinal household panel survey of its kind and based at the University of Essex, interviews around 40,000 households every year, focusing on family and community behaviour, and helps researchers explore societal changes over the course of many years.
Smart Energy Research Laboratory
The laboratory collects data from smart electricity and gas meters to measure national energy usage from consenting households. The data feeds into research on fuel poverty, energy efficiency and decarbonisation.
Launched in 1983, the survey has recorded changing public views on many social and political matters for four decades, with the collected data being used to underpin research and inform government policy.
Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS)
EVENS addresses the under-representation of people from ethnic and religious minority groups in population survey data and is the largest national survey capturing this data.
Maintaining data security
The UK Data Service was developed by pioneers in the field of social science; now it’s time to train a new generation in data literacy.
Its suite of free training and development resources for researchers suit all abilities - from undergraduates and teachers to academics and data managers. Over 88,000 YouTube viewers have watched online data training content produced by the Service.
Looking to the future, the UK Data Service is investigating the challenges and opportunities posed by AI-enrichment of metadata and machine learning. Next steps for technological innovation will involve migrating the vast data collection to an open cloud system, while maintaining the data security and integrity that is the foundation of the UK Data Service.
Find out more
UK Data Archive
Home to the UK's largest collection of social, economic and population data for over 50 years, we provide researchers with training and data access as lead partner of the UK Data Service.
UK Data Service
Trusted access and training to use the UK's largest collection of economic, population and social research data for teaching, learning and public benefit.
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